Cold Hands, Warm Heart
by kitsune of the twin blades
Summary: Jack has always been a brotherly figure to all the children, even as he watched them grow. But when a new girl moves to Burgess, he will discover feelings he's never known before. How will he make her a believer and does she even want to see him? What has happened to her to make her question her every belief? Set a few years after the movie. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

It was the week before Christmas and the world was a buzz of holiday cheer and excitement. The North Pole was, of course, in an uproar with last minute scrambling to finish making the toys for children around the globe who believed.

Yetis ran through the building checking over the production lines, making adjustments to the sleigh, and preparing extra reindeer food to help the team bulk up for the long and tiring flight. North himself was almost too stressed and hurried to think straight!

This was not the time of year to be bothering the big man with anything that could possibly be an obstacle in his delivery plans.

Of course that wouldn't stop Jack Frost from poking fun at his old friend. He had to maintain his record on the naughty list, right?

This close to Christmas, all of the children were out of school so there was no special need for that little extra helping of white on the ground for a snow day but in most towns lucky to be far enough from the equator to feel freezing temperatures, his handy work could still be seen.

He had worked over the night to ensure this winter wonderland early just so he could pay his friend a small visit.

Jack was busy misplacing toys from under the noses of yetis and hiding just in time to make it seem as though passing elves had been the culprit.

From his hiding place around the corner, he tried to contain his laughter as two very anxious yetis yelled and stomped around one very confused elf causing mayhem and a cease in the toy making process.

After playing two or three similar pranks throughout the workshop, North finally caught on to the culprit and reprimanded Jack, having Phil the yeti escort him out.

With one final playful smirk, Jack waved cheerfully at the frustrated yeti and managed to say, "Nice to see you too, Phil!" as he locked the giant wooden doors behind him.

Jack laughed out loud to himself having successfully caused quite an uproar before deciding to head home to Burgess to check on the children there.

With his staff in hand, he said, as if talking to an invisible someone close by, "Hey Wind! Take me home!"

At his command, the wind carried the winter spirit back to his home town and landed him nicely in a tree before dissipating into the air.

Finally being home after such a long day of snow accumulation and pranks on his fellow guardian, Jack was ready to settle down to watch the sunset. This was his favorite part of day when he got the chance to relax and observe and when the clouds had time to clear before the end of the day.

The twinkle of orange light glinting off the newly fallen snow, casting long, elegant shadows over the ground that twisted with the shape of the trees, the reflection showing brightly on the icy pond that Jack was so familiar with.

The only thing that Jack hated about the sunset was how brief the magic of it all seemed. He remained frozen in time as he waited to see every last moment, finally relaxing into the peace of the scenery.

That's when he first saw her. A young girl walking somewhat purposefully through the woods and the snow, creating tracks in his freshly fallen masterpiece.

With a sigh and a wave, he flew down near her, curious as to why someone would be out walking alone at this time.

If she could have seen this boy following her, she would have been in for quite a shock. He did not walk next to her but rather seemed to float as a gentle breeze kept her company.

His feet were bare, he wore brown pants and a blue hooded sweatshirt that clung to him and seemed to carry a thin layer of ice.

In his hand, he held his most prized possession, the staff through which he channeled his wintery powers.

At first, Jack was just a little annoyed at the girl for disturbing his perfect sunset. She seemed to know where she was going but he couldn't be sure and he felt the need to follow her to make sure she would find her way through the wooded area.

It wasn't too far from the city of Burgess but in the cold, one wrong turn could spell out trouble sooner than one might think.

As she walked, Jack began to take a closer look at the girl.

She looked to be about 19, probably too old for him to hope to make a believer out of her. She wore a dark blue pea coat that fell to her waist, skinny jeans with brown boots up to her calves, and a bright pink scarf that shown through the long brown hair cascading down her back.

Her face held some lingering freckles left over from the warmer months spent out in the sun just below her bright green eyes.

Her cheeks and lips were a soft pink color from the biting cold and Jack could see the puff of misty air that came with each breath she took. Jack was quite close to her face now and as her looked at her, he let out a soft sigh. She seemed to almost sense the small action and his hopes were raised for one brief moment that maybe she had felt the breeze.

But that was a ridiculous thing to hope for.

A light sniffle from the girl broke Jack of his trance and he realized they were now on the outskirts of the small town. He thought about it for a moment and decided it was best to make sure she got all the way to her home.

Besides, he was just a bit curious to see where this bright-eyed girl lived. He had certainly never seen her around before and he was sure he would have remembered her face.

He of course, delivered snow to areas around the world but Burgess had always been his home and he took special care to know the children that lived there.

It was pretty dark outside when she turned into one of the closer homes.

Jack noticed the real estate sign in the front yard indicating that the family had just moved here. That at least explained why he didn't know her face.

The girl pulled open the front door and slipped inside leaving Jack slightly disappointed. He was actually hoping she lived farther into town so he could have more time to look at her as she walked. As soon as he thought about that however, he shook his head and decided that was just a bit creepy.

He had never been so intrigued before at the sight of one person.

Sure he had lived for over 300 years now and had watched many a small girl grow into a beautiful young woman.

He had always held somewhat of a brotherly affection for them. Happy for them that they had grown up and even found love. That was the way of life and there would always be more little children to protect, especially now that he had a greater following of believers than ever before.

However, with this girl, he wasn't quite sure what he was feeling.

He couldn't help taking one last look at the house before he flew back to the small lake that he called home and secretly took note of the window where he saw the light flicker on in the house.

Her face lingered in his head as the wind carried him.

Jack didn't want to admit it to himself, but he would probably be back very soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the favorites and to my lovely reviewer, thank you! I hope this chapter is at least somewhat more entertaining than the last. I promise at some point, I will get past the introspective thoughts on things and there will be more dialogue! We just need a certain someone to believe for conversations to start happening ;)**

**Anyway, here is Chapter 2! R&R please! :)**

That night, Jack found that he was restless. He didn't understand why he couldn't get the image of the girl wandering through the forest out of his mind.

He had tried to distract himself by adding a few flurries to the British isles, northern Russia, and Siberia but even across the globe, he was left wondering about her.

What was she like? Where did she come from? What was her name? This last one perplexed him the most.

With these questions passing through Jack's thoughts, he almost didn't notice Sandy as he passed him coming back down from Canada.

The sandman was busy filling the dreams of children on the side of the world that now lay in slumber. Golden dream sand flitted here and there with lovely shapes forming out of the strands.

Sandy and Jack enjoyed running into one another on their nightly Guardian duties. They usually had a quick (mostly one-sided) conversation before continuing on their separate ways.

So of course, Sandy noticed a slight difference in Jack's demeanor.

He quickly formed a smiley face followed by a question mark in bight golden sand above his head in an effort to soundlessly ask Jack if he was feeling alright. He looked a bit perplexed.

Jack smiled and said, "Oh, I'm fine, Sandy! Just a bit distracted tonight."

After seeing his fellow Guardian return the smile, Jack added, "How are the dreams looking? No sign of Pitch still?"

All of the Guardians had been just a little more cautious of certain warning signs that may signal the return of the Nightmare King but they knew it would probably take a few decades at least for him to return.

They still wanted to make sure they were prepared.

Sandy formed what looked like a hand with the thumb in the air to let Jack know that things were still looking good.

With that message and a small wave, the two turned away from one another to continue their own work.

It wasn't long then, until Jack was back at home safe and sound in Burgess.

The sun had barely risen and most of the residents of the small town were still peacefully snuggled warm in their beds.

Jack passed by his spot in the tree from the other night and could still make out the footprints in the snow where the girl had walked home.

Seeing the small marks in the snow, a smile came to Jack's lips almost without him even noticing.

He pondered this for a moment and decided there was really no harm in visiting the strange new girl today. It wasn't as if she could see him anyway and perhaps if he found out a little more about her, his fascination would go away and he could stop thinking about her so much.

This being settled, he heard the rushing of the wind whirling around him as it carried him, rather quickly, to the house the girl had entered the night before.

Surprisingly, as he approached, the door to the house flew open and out stepped a tall, somewhat burly man wearing giant black rubber boots over waterproof snow pants and a dark red winter coat.

The man had a small bit of facial hair but not enough to count as a full beard.

His hair, barely poking out in a few places under the wool hat that sat on his head, was nearly the same color as the girl's. Possibly a few shades darker, even.

But his bright green eyes were definitely a match, though they seemed a bit hidden. Sunken into his face as though years of hardship and sadness had caused the wrinkles to mask the beauty of the light color.

What really made the man look a bit ridiculous however, were the light blue mittens on each of his hands.

They looked far too delicate to adorn the hands of such a large man. And in those hands, he held a long shovel.

As Jack took notice of this man and guessed that he was about to shovel away his lovely fallen snow, he had all but decided to leave and find some nearby children to entertain.

That was when he saw her emerge from the house.

The girl that had haunted his thoughts from the last moment he had spent with her.

She was wearing the same boots and jacket from before but she now wore a dark red scarf that matched the man's jacket. She had on white gloves and a matching white knitted hat.

Jack had to admit, he was slightly disappointed that he couldn't see all of her hair. It seemed to be even lighter and lovelier in the day, even with clouds covering most of the sun's rays.

"Hey, dad!" she said to the man with the shovel, "Why don't I just get you some gloves of your own so you can stop borrowing my mittens?"

The man laughed in response and said, "But these are my favorite! Aren't they just the right color for me?" he held up his hand to his face as if he were admiring the color and style of the mittens, wiggling his fingers in a dainty manner.

He winked at her and threw a snowball her way before she had time to react. This caused the girl to burst into a fit of giggles and then a full laugh before returning fire.

Jack was standing a few feet away in wonder, watching the two and reveling in how lovely the sound of her laughter was! It was almost infectious and he found he couldn't help but to laugh along with them and maybe throw one or two snowballs, unnoticed, into the mix!

When the two of them had had enough, the man said, "Alright now, Rose, are you going to help me with this or not?"

Jack shut his eyes and said the name aloud to himself, "Rose." _What a beautiful name_, he thought as he opened his eyes. Once more a smile came over him and he almost felt _warm_.

But that was impossible for the wintery Guardian.

"Sure, dad!" Rose replied, "You shovel and I'll start piling!"

Jack was snapped out of his thoughts and watched curiously to see what exactly the girl… _Rose_, meant by that last statement.

Rose's father began to shovel the snow from the sidewalk and as he scraped the concrete with each sliding motion, he threw the pile of white fluff over to where Rose was standing.

With each shovelful adding to the pile, Rose began to pack down the soft white snow and form it into a massive oval. _Almost like the eggs Bunny put out for Easter, _Jack thought, _if they were 4 feet tall!_

With the sidewalk finished, the two looked at the oval and smiled.

They both bent over to the ground, still covered in white, and each began to form a snowball. Both of them chuckled as they struggled to race each other across the yard.

Jack may have helped Rose just a bit. No one would really notice a slight breeze at her back.

Once they each had a giant snowball, Rose's father picked them up one by one and set them on the oval Rose had formed.

Jack watched, amused, as they found the traditional sticks to make arms. Rose's father opened up a bag of charcoal left next to the grill in the backyard and they gathered up a few pieces of coal for eyes, a mouth, and buttons, and of course, they found a carrot inside the house that made a perfect nose!

Finally freezing at this point, and tired from all the work of building the snowman, Rose and her father stood side by side one arm around one another and admired their masterpiece.

By all accounts, this was one of the best snowmen Jack had seen.

He circled it a few times in the air to see how carefully they had packed the snow.

He turned to look back at the pair and noticed a swift change in the atmosphere. The two seemed to be holding each other a little tighter now, grasping to the other's coat ever so slightly as if they were the last two people on Earth.

Jack was puzzled by the sight when he noticed the man's eyes seemed glassy and his nose seemed a little more red than it should, even despite the cold.

That's when a single tear fell down the side of Rose's cheek. Jack swiftly moved to freeze the tear as it fell to the ground. She gasped a bit at the sudden cold.

"Looks good, dad" said Rose. With a nod, he agreed and they walked silently back to the house, probably ready to warm up and have a hot drink.

At the final click of the door, Jack was left alone staring at the snowman, his head turned slightly to the side in thought.

He didn't understand. How could something so wonderful and magical be a source of sadness?

The coal eyes of the snowman seemed to glint in the afternoon light and Jack, not wanting the snowman to melt any, left a small layer of ice around the creation.

He knew now that his assumption earlier to know more about the girl was wrong.

He didn't know why but he knew now that he would never be able to get her face out of his head. The image of her lovely eyes tinted red and slightly swollen, would now be the one to haunt him until he could solve this problem.

He put a hand to his chest just to check. It felt cold like normal. But how could one person's sadness make his heart feel both warm and broken inside?

Unable to make sense of this feeling, Jack flew to the park in town to cause some trouble for the children who he had undoubtedly kept waiting by lingering there.

Rose felt an unnatural chill at the window as her father stoked a fire inside their home.

She watched as what seemed like ice formed around the snowman they had just made.

It had to be a trick of the light. There was no way ice could form that quickly yet the snowman now had an odd, clear, sheen to his glistening white color and she could swear she saw the wind suddenly gust past the snowman and in one, tiny instant, she could swear she saw a flash of blue.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again for the follows and reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far! I know it goes by somewhat slowly but I promise patience is a virtue :) On that same note, I may be a bit incapacitated tomorrow after New Years festivities so forgive me if the next chapter takes a little while. **

**Have a great night and I'll see you in 2013 :)**

Chapter 3

With a mug of hot chocolate sitting next to her, and her feet warm from sitting next to the fire for about an hour, Rose decided it was time to brave the cold once again.

She picked up the empty mug and took it to the sink in the kitchen where her father sat, reading a newspaper.

He looked up when she came in. "Have you finished all your Christmas shopping, yet?" he asked, "I still have one or two more things to pick up."

Rose smiled at her father and replied, "Not yet. I just have one more thing to find." She turned to put her boots back on and added, "But it's a surprise so no peaking when I get back!"

Her father raised both his eyebrows, looked at her, and put down his paper before a mischievous smile danced across his face.

"You better find a good hiding place for it then! You know how sneaky I can be!" With that, he walked two of his fingers across the table mimicking a tiptoeing motion.

She just laughed and said, "Oh, I know just where to hide it!"

She scrunched up her face in a playful smirk and waved goodbye telling him she wouldn't be gone too long.

She grabbed her coat off the rack in the front hallway and slid both arms inside before buttoning all the way up to her chest.

Next, she grabbed the same red scarf from earlier in the day and wrapped it in a small knot where her coat left a bare spot.

With her hat in place, she pulled on each glove and noticed they were still a bit wet from building the snowman. No matter though. It wasn't too long of a walk and it wasn't that cold outside.

As she shut the door behind her she pulled her scarf a little closer to her neck, noticing that the wind had picked up some. She started walking toward town, keeping to the streets this time.

The other day, coming back from a trip into the city of Burgess, she had mistaken the wooded path on the outside of town as a shortcut home.

She had a pretty poor sense of direction (probably inherited from her father who always seemed to get lost) so she wasn't too surprised when it had taken her almost 45 minutes out of her way. Live and learn, right?

Thankfully, she had ended up in the right general direction and had gotten home alright with a little bit of help from a slight breeze that seemed to propel her forward through the woods.

No, this time she would stick to what she knew. So turning the corner off of a few streets down, she saw the city park coming into view.

She and her father had only lived there for about a week now but Rose enjoyed venturing into the city and exploring a bit.

The hardware store that was her ultimate destination was just on the other side and she heard a few children out playing in the snow.

As she got closer, she came upon what looked like a very elaborate snowball fight complete with two forts that looked to be about 6 feet tall standing about 20 yards away from one another.

_Wow!_, Rose thought to herself, _How long have these kids been out here?_

It had taken her and her father almost 2 hours to make one snowman yet these children had two very well constructed forts that towered over any of them and what seemed like a large arsenal of snowballs at the ready.

As she walked, still about 90 yards away, she could hear them yelling to one another though none of them had noticed her. Too enveloped in their battle.

One name seemed to stand out above the chaos.

Whoever this Jack person was, he apparently had a great arm! All of the children seemed to be plotting to take him down.

Rose thought for a moment that maybe they were picking on one certain kid and she started to feel a pang of distress and had thoughts of stopping the game.

However, the snowballs were going pretty fast in both directions so obviously this other boy was some kind of prodigy.

The air was full of laughter and loud boisterous battle calls.

Rose smiled as she watched them, looking for the one man army when she saw one of the children's snowballs zoom toward the other fort before bursting in mid air as if hitting an unseen force.

This stopped Rose in her tracks.

Surely that had not just happened.

Rose looked to see what the children thought of this. She was absolutely shocked!

What could have possibly happened? There were no trees in the way, no bird had flown by. There was nothing standing in the way of that shot.

The children's cheers and high fives seemed to signal the end of the fight as they screamed, "We got you! We hit Jack! We win!"

The children jumped up and down in excitement over their apparent victory but Rose was confused.

She held a puzzled stare with one eyebrow slightly raised and her mouth just slightly open.

The name had brought back a memory of her childhood. A certain fairy tale that her mother used to tell her about Old Man Winter, Jack Frost.

She would warn Rose not to let Jack Frost nip at her nose in order to make Rose put on a hat and gloves when she went outside to play in the snow.

As her thoughts lingered there lost in her memories, she thought she saw, just for a brief moment, an older boy with white hair who wasn't wearing any shoes standing with the children in the park.

She even locked eyes with him for a second, and she felt a slight jolt staring into his strikingly blue eyes.

Quickly, she looked away and started walking again toward the hardware store, determined not to get distracted.

Suddenly, a gust of wind hit her back and she stumbled forward for a minute as her white hat flew off her head.

As she bent and reached to grab it however, a cold, bare hand brushed hers, also reaching for the hat on the ground.

Following the line of the arm with her eyes, Rose locked into another stare with the barefoot, white haired older boy from the snowball fight.

Standing so quickly she almost knocked him over, she looked back to where the children were, still jumping up and high fiving one another.

40 yards away.

_How on earth did he get over here this quickly? _Rose's mind raced and when she turned back, she noticed he was absolutely beaming with a large smile plastered onto his face.

He handed her the hat, stood up, and said in a disbelieving manner, "Wait, can you really see me?"

What kind of question was that? He was standing right in front of her.

All she could do was nod, dumbfounded, and asked, "Your name… It wouldn't happen to be Jack, would it?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all for being patient! I hope everyone had a good New Year's day! **

**So, I'm just now coming to this realization, but Jack and Rose are definitely the two main characters from Titanic... Just so you know, that was totally by accident! Rose was really just a name that popped into my head that I happened to like but now I see this is kind of funny. Now I can't promise this story won't have tragedy in it, but definitely not going to recreate the story of Titanic here so no worries! You can enjoy a laugh at my accidental name pairing :)**

**This chapter is a lot longer than my others so hopefully that will make up for not posting these last two days. **

**Also, sad to say, I may not post again until after the 8th... I know, I'm terrible! I'm spending time with some friends in a cabin so I'm not too sure there will be internet connection, but at least if I don't post for a few days, maybe my little imagination will go into overdrive again and produce another mega chapter :) **

**ryodai89: Thank you so much for your reviews! I honestly enjoy reading them probably as much as you apparently enjoy reading this story! It means a lot to me to hear such positive feedback!**

**turtlethewriter: :) I'm glad you love it so much!**

**keacdragon: you're cool too! (thought I don't know whether or not that is literally true haha)**

**You guys mean a lot to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope its still well paced enough for you!**

**Chapter 4**

After flying to the park to spend the rest of the day with the local children, Jack had quickly helped them build two forts for their snowball fight.

They were pretty impressive and he smiled at the quick work he had made before arming the children with dozens of snowballs to keep in their fort. He had to make the game somewhat fair, right?

He had first gone to visit 8 year old Lizzie and her 10 year old brother, Evan.

Evan was a very energetic little boy who was always up for a snowball fight with Jack and Lizzie, though she was still very young, never backed down from a challenge and was admittedly very good to have on a team for just about any sport.

She was cunning and knew how to set up the perfect surprise attacks. Not a bad arm either, for someone of her age.

Jack knew that the two of them would spread the word that he was in town and able to play for the day. He had been busy the past few days spreading snow and ice over the continents so he was definitely ready for some well deserved fun.

By the time Jack was finished building the forts in the park, around 15 children had slowly filtered in and, practically bursting at the seams in excitement, waited for Jack to help them load up on snowy ammunition.

Since there were always arguments over picking teams, and of course, which team would get to have Jack helping them, they had decided to play a different kind of game.

All of the children screamed out orders to one another, laughing as they did their best to keep up with Jack's quick as lightning movements in mid air.

His return assaults were fairly light but pretty much always a direct hit. Never hard enough to hurt, but a constant reminder to the kids that though he was a one man army, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with!

Jack loved visiting the kids, especially now that he was officially a Guardian. The past few years since Pitch had been defeated, Jack's number of believers had grown rapidly.

Jamie and his friends had of course helped to spread the word around town but Jack had found a few methods of fostering belief himself.

Mostly he just needed to remind children of his name. Since he wasn't talked about as much as the other Guardians, sometimes it was just a matter of informing the children about his existence and his role to play in their lives.

It felt rather silly writing it on windows and in the snow for awhile but after some time, a lot more kids caught on.

It was the best feeling in the world to be believed in! Even better was that now he could actually participate in his own fun snowy games instead of the constant watching from the sidelines that he had come to know for 300 lonely years.

It seemed that, finally, his second chance at life was picking up and moving in a happy direction.

The chaotic feeling of joy Jack found in the rush of the snowball fight had him yelling and laughing along with the children.

He allowed his thoughts to wander free once again and had almost cleared Rose completely from his mind. That is, until he saw her again, making him think that maybe, he wasn't meant to forget her.

She was only maybe 40 yards away and walking toward the fight on the path in the park. She even seemed to be watching them.

Seeing Rose took Jack's mind completely away from the fight for a fraction of a second as he stared in wonder.

Just enough time for 10 year old John (who just happened to be the captain of his little league team) to send a snowball flying at Jack for a direct hit.

Jack felt the snowball hit him in the chest and it broke apart instantly, sending snow in every direction.

This snapped him back to the game and he quickly dropped back to the ground, dropped his staff for a moment behind his own fort, and gave John a high five.

"Great aim, John! I guess that means you guys win!"

At this statement, all the kids burst into cheers and congratulated one another!

Jack took one sidelong glance back to where Rose was to find her stopped in her tracks and _looking right at him!_

Just as Jack began to wonder about the impossible, she looked away and started walking very quickly. He quickly picked up his staff and flew over to her as fast as he could. He instantly regretted it when the excess of wind caused her hat to fly right off her head.

Feeling guilty, he bent down to pick it up and he felt the warmth of her hand on his as she reached for the hat at the same time and it happened again.

She looked at him. And not just at him but looked him directly in the eyes. Looking into her wide green eyes, Jack felt a tiny flutter of happiness and hope filling his cold heart!

She stood and looked back to the children before looking back at Jack, almost perplexed. Her eyes were wide and unsure.

He smiled and stood up, hoping against hope that she has somehow come to believe in him.

Handing her the hat, "Wait, can you really see me?"

This seemed to really confuse her for a second. Her eyebrows came down slightly, making little lines dance across her forehead.

He thought for a second that she actually looked kind of cute this way when she nodded slowly.

Before he could process what this now meant, she spoke.

"Your name… It wouldn't happen to be Jack, would it?"

His heart skipped a beat! She could see him! She could hear and talk to him!

In a fit of excitement, he turned a flip in the air in utter happiness!

She continued to stare at him before he remembered that she had asked him a question.

"Jack Frost is my name" he said, "It's nice to meet you!"

He extended his hand in the usual manner for a handshake. He didn't know why he was so overcome with joy at her belief in him, but he couldn't help feeling the way he did when Jamie had first believed in him a few years ago.

"Um… I'm Rose… Rose Hall," she responded, and taking his hand, she stared at the staff he held in the other before continuing, "It's nice to meet you too."

She seemed to be in some sort of shocked state. Numbly taking his hand and shaking but still looking as if she thought this was some kind of dream.

She paused to put her hat back on her head and shoved her hands inside her pockets, suddenly feeling the cold from the partially wet gloves.

"I think I sound maybe a little bit crazy for asking, but…" Rose took a breath and paused before continuing, "you're not _the_ Jack Frost… are you?"

Jack, sensing that Rose was definitely a little freaked out about seeing him, slowly nodded his head and braced himself for whatever came next with a deep inhale of cold, crisp air.

Rose turned her head down for a minute, seemingly thinking this information over and deciding in her head whether or not this was possible.

There was somewhat of a mental battle going on inside her head. There was no way this could be real. Sure, she had believed in things like the tooth fairy and Santa Claus when she was younger, but never had she actually _seen _them.

On the other hand, being a pretty firm believer in things like miracles and the likes from a higher power, Rose had always been open to believing in magic, even if she couldn't see it. Her mother had taught her to always keep her eyes and her heart open to such things. If only, just in case.

But could this be real? _Then again, _she thought, _did I just see him flip in the air? There's no way a normal boy could stay suspended for that long… _Then again, Rose was not the type of person to let adventure pass her by.

People have believed in stranger things…

Jack was content to watch Rose as he gave her time to think things over. He stayed silent to let his words sink in and watched the different emotions play across her face.

He looked back to see the children waving at him, walking one by one, back to their homes for dinner. Their cheeks and noses were bright pink from the cold but they had looks of absolute warmth and happiness on their faces.

Jack smiled and waved back to the children before turning away to look at Rose. What she said next took him by surprise.

"You know, I always pictured you as a grumpy old man," she stated matter-of-factly. It was the first thing that had popped into her mind. With the words hanging in the air now, she wasn't sure why she had spoken them.

Jack's jaw dropped. He stared at her for a moment. Was that really the first thing she had to say to him?

There was complete silence for a few seconds. He drew in a breath and then his entire body was suddenly racked with a fit of laughter. He doubled over and put his hands on his stomach as the air was filled with the loud, full, rounded sound!

Rose, guessing that he wasn't too offended by what she had said and overcome with the ridiculousness of the situation and the wave of shock and emotion that had just occurred, let out the breath she had been holding and, to her own disbelief, began to laugh along with him.

The two were almost holding one another up as they laughed hard enough to make their sides hurt, gasping for air.

When they had both mostly recovered and were only subject to the last few spurts of giggles, Rose tried to explain, "When I was little," she began, "my mom used to tell me that Jack Frost was an old cranky man that made it snow only because he liked to pull tricks and freeze people."

Her mother's side of the family was mostly German. They didn't exactly have nice legends about the harsh winter months.

Jack took in this information and looked down at himself. He did like to play tricks. Not so much on humans, but he definitely enjoyed being a bit of a pest for his fellow Guardians (especially the Kangaroo). He certainly wasn't an old man though!

He looked back at her and cocked one eyebrow up, asking for her opinion.

She smiled brightly back at him and simply said, "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

Her eyes seemed to almost sparkle then and Jack felt a small twinge of that now somewhat familiar warmth in his chest and he instinctively, without meaning to, put a hand up to cover his heart.

Rose's eyes followed this motion and she let out a small sigh. In that moment of silence, she suddenly remembered why she was outside.

What time was it? She pulled her hands out of her coat pockets to check the pockets of her jeans for a phone. No such luck. Not like she was expecting much.

She barely ever wore a watch and hadn't taken her phone with her this morning to build the snowman.

She hoped the store wasn't closed! This close to Christmas in a small town, places seemed to close pretty early and the sun, at least, seemed to suggest that the day was coming to an end.

"It was great to meet you, Jack! I'm sorry, but I have to make it to the hardware store before it closes!" She made to turn away but Jack, not quite ready to say goodbye yet and without thinking, grabbed her hand to stop her for a moment.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone older than maybe 14 that still believed in me…" Jack began. "I'm not sure why, but I think this is important."

Rose looked at him just a little bit bewildered but she stayed and waited patiently to hear what he wanted to say. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but something was telling her that she really didn't want to leave him either.

Jack continued, "I have some work to do tonight but would you mind if we met again?"

His icy blue eyes held some new emotion in them that told Rose he wasn't just asking for this, somehow, he _needed_ to see her again. She supposed if what he said was true, if he really didn't have anyone his age to talk to, it would be somewhat lonely…

She thought she saw a deep sadness and longing behind the youthful sparkle in his eyes. A sadness that she recognized. With that, she knew that she had to see him again. Not just for his sake, but for her own as well.

She nodded in response and he let go of her hand.

"Great!" he said, "I'll meet you at your home tomorrow. 10 a.m.! Just wait for me at a window!"

"How will you know where I live?" she asked.

He forgot she hadn't seen him earlier. At the risk of seeming just a little too creepy on their first real meeting and, not wanting to scare her off, he had her give him her address.

She started off down the path once again and after a few steps, turned to look back.

A gust of wind passed her on the left side and she heard his laughter as he soared into the air, staff in hand, and disappeared over the horizon.

Her hand still felt slightly numb from where his icy hand had touched her. She knew it was silly to think this but, somehow it felt colder now that his hand was gone.

Somewhat mentally blocking what just took place, Rose tried to act normally as she walked into the hardware store on the corner and purchased the new power drill her father had his heart set on. He insisted they needed to make some adjustments and hang up some new pictures in their new house.

She found it very hard, however, to wipe the giant, stupid grin off of her face. She was probably blushing uncontrollably at this point too though she had no idea why. She really couldn't help it! The cashier at the register gave her a strange look. Who on earth would be this excited about buying power tools?

The walk home seemed to take ages! Her thoughts were scattered all over the place. There were so many questions she had that, at the time, she had been too shocked and overwhelmed to think of.

She definitely saw Jack fly… as strange as that was, it seemed to back up his claims. He was definitely barefoot so obviously the cold must not bother him. He carried some kind of staff. The curved part on the top reminded her of an old shepherd's crook. What significance did that carry?

She wondered, if Jack Frost was actually real, were there others out there in the unseen world? Any other legends come to life that only children believed in? What did it take to see them?

As she had told Jack, her mother had always talked about the spirit of winter as someone that didn't like humans… was angry at them, even, and tried to freeze them.

Jack not only didn't look old at all (he barely looked older than 18 or 19, very close to her age), but he was definitely not attempting to freeze her or the children he had apparently been playing with.

This was difficult for Rose to reconcile with. Stories and legends her mother had told her as a child were really all that she had to hold on to.

In fact, her mother being gone was really the reason Rose had chosen to believe in things beyond her knowledge. It had solidified her belief in the impossible and the unknown. How could she not have hope that there was something more waiting after everything is over?

There had to be something more out there. There had to be a way to see her again. Rose's eyes began to sting, holding back tears as she thought of her mother's warmth and love. The smile began to fade from her face as a hardened, stone mask took its place.

If she thought hard enough, she could remember her mother's deep, brown eyes, her lovely chocolate brown hair, her slightly crooked smile, even the way she _smelled._ Memories danced across her mind but she pushed them back, too heartbroken still to let them surface.

She couldn't come home crying. Not again.

Somewhere, in the dark recesses of the back of her mind however, Rose pulled up the other memory that had pained her and broken her apart since that day in January. Images and sounds seemed to flash before her.

_The knock at the door late at night. Her father answering to the two police officers. The news that neither was prepared for. Her mother, dead after her car slid off the road and hit a tree. The Christmas tree still up and decorated in the family room. The desperate hugging and crying lasting for weeks._

Rose remembered the feeling in the pit of her stomach for those first few months when she had hated herself for her mother's death.

When the blizzard hit their hometown of Madawaska, Maine, she had been overly excited to go outside and build a snowman.

This was one of her family's favorite traditions and since her parents would likely be snowed in from work the next day, she couldn't wait! Even after going away for college, it was great to come back and act like a child again over the break.

When her mother hadn't come home that night, it had taken everything that Rose had to forgive herself for feeling joy at the weather that had ultimately, taken her mother's life. She knew it wasn't her fault, but sometimes certain emotions had the ability to sour otherwise happy thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

This entire year had been hard on Rose and her father. Many nights were spent in the family room just sitting in silence, tears running down both of their faces.

Nothing could compare to the feeling of a lead weight that sat on her heart for months. Though it grew smaller and smaller, she knew that there would always be at least a small bit of that emptiness left inside of her.

But she and her father had pulled through together. They were all each other had.

They had worked hard to make life seem alright again. Though it was painful to move forward, it was better than living in the past and when her father was offered a new position for his job in Burgess, the two had decided it was time to move away from the memories.

They packed their belongings, and set off to make a new home.

Dwelling on these thoughts now, Rose realized something. If Jack really was the one who brought winter, wasn't he then, the cause of the blizzard? Her heart seemed to skip a beat at this painful thought.

She had spent so much time hating herself for the same reason, how could she avoid feeling hatred toward him who was, by all accounts, the ultimate cause for the death of her mother?

She would definitely have to rethink this whole ordeal though it saddened her further to think this way. Should she really trust a strange, floating, barefoot boy? Maybe it was best if she didn't meet him again…

Why then, when she thought of him, did her world seem just a bit brighter?

She sighed as she opened the front door, bag in hand, with a resolute look now featured across her face.

Jack, on the other hand, was completely elated! He seemed to fly with greater speed than normal as the winds carried him over the sea to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

He relished the feeling of the salty water as he flew down low to the water, turning and twisting above the waves! For once, he truly felt light as the breeze that carried him!

Jack still wasn't sure what it was about this girl that caused these feelings but he was absolutely sure now that she was his most favorite believer!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update! Like I said, I was away for a few days and just today, I've been pretty sick all day so I didn't get much writing done until tonight. **

**Though as I promised, this is a pretty long chapter and I have an idea for the next one so hopefully that won't take too long either!**

**This one is very Rose-centered so I might make the next one a little more Jack POV but we'll see... **

**Anyway, thanks for being patient, I hope you enjoy this one! :)**

**Chapter 5**

Sleep did not come easily for Rose that night.

The walk back home took much longer than she expected. She had been too caught up in her thoughts to walk very quickly and she could almost feel the cold in her bones by the time she had reached the house.

She paused by the frozen snowman still standing in front of the house and remembered her own thoughts at the window when she had seen the ice form. Only now did she realize the magic she had witnessed.

The snowman stood now almost like a soldier in front of the house, protecting and keeping watch for her and her father. She smiled at the idea before walking up to the front door once again.

After returning home, she had taken her father's gift up to her room and hid it in the one place he was sure not to go snooping, her underwear drawer. She would wrap it later.

Being sure it was well covered, she shut the drawer and headed back down the stairs to find that dinner was already made and waiting for her.

She had almost forgotten how late it was! Walking back to the house and concentrating on the thoughts swirling around her mind had been almost numbing and she realized she had honestly forgotten to be hungry.

Now that the enticing aroma of tomatoes, cheese, and garlic filled her nose, she suddenly felt heavy and tired, overwhelmed by emotion and the resilient cold from outside.

Her stomach let out a loud, low grumble in response.

"Hungry?" her father asked jokingly, as he laughed at her stomach.

Rose gave him a small, grateful smile and sat down at the table where a plate of lasagna was set for her.

"You have no idea" she replied. She sat in her chair slightly slumped over, feeling just absolutely drained.

She hadn't thought about the night her mother had died in quite awhile.

As her father settled himself in a chair across from Rose, he noticed her posture and the unusual paleness on her face. His brow furrowed as he watched her begin to eat and noticed how quickly and quietly she proceeded.

"Everything alright, Rose?" he asked.

Rose looked up and could see the worry outlined on her father's face. How many times now had he seen her break down again unexpectedly? She could practically read his mind, saw the caution around his gaze and understood the secret desire not to have to revisit the tragedy of that night again.

"I'm alright dad!" she said, almost too eagerly as she straightened up a bit adding, "just really hungry! Thanks for making the lasagna. I'm sorry I wasn't home to help."

Seeing her smile again, he felt a bit better and replied, "No worries! I am actually capable of cooking dinner all by myself, though it may be hard to believe!"

He gave Rose a big grin which she returned before gulping down half of her glass of water at once.

The rest of the meal was mostly spent discussing where they would hang pictures and whether or not they should move the furniture in the living room. There were still quite a few cardboard boxes lying around from the move.

After discussing where to place a certain lamp and cleaning the dishes, Rose decided to set off for her bedroom.

Her father hadn't missed this strange behavior and guessed Rose might be coming down with a cold. It wasn't normal for her to not spend some time talking with him after dinner.

He had always missed his only daughter when she had gone away to university but after the accident, he couldn't deny it had been almost unbearable. Having her back home for Christmas was what truly brought joy to his heart. She was precious to him and now, she was all he held dear in the world.

"I think I'm going to bed a little early tonight, dad" Rose called back to the kitchen.

Her father settled down again at the table with a mug of hot coffee.

"Goodnight, honey! I hope you feel better in the morning!" he replied. He watched her walk up the stairs and hoped that whatever was bothering her would be gone soon.

Rose shut the door to her bedroom behind her and collapsed onto her bed.

Thoughts and emotions swirling around her head, she didn't know what to think or what to feel.

Of course it was painful to be thinking about her mother again. She knew there would always be a void in her heart forever but now, somehow it seemed smaller.

She still couldn't wrap her mind around the events of the day. Jack Frost was _real._ She had seen and heard him up close. Her head felt dizzy thinking about him now.

Her initial shock at seeing the boy had practically caused the world around her to stop spinning.

However, the look in his icy blue eyes, the way his snowy white hair moved playfully in the breeze, his slightly crooked smile, and the way he seemed to almost glow like the sparkle that settles over snow in the light, had caused her to catch her breath and made her heart seem to slow down as if savoring the moment.

She couldn't deny there was something about Jack that had instantly grabbed her and hadn't seemed to loosen its hold since that second.

Just something about him, she wasn't quite sure what, had left her wanting more.

Rose sighed as she changed into her pajamas, carefully removing each sock in turn and throwing them to the floor as she pulled the covers over her and lay down on her bed.

Shutting her eyes only made it worse. Jack's crystal blue eyes stared back at her behind her closed lids. She could see him flying majestically through the sky on the wind. The sound of his laughter rang through her mind like a bell and echoed around inside her skull.

All these thoughts, however, were darkened by the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her she shouldn't be thinking of him. She shouldn't want to see the face of the person that had a hand in the death of her mother, however inadvertently.

She told herself it couldn't be his fault. Then again, she had really only just met the boy. How could she be sure that he was even trustworthy? How many people died every year because of the winter weather he brought?

As she warred with herself over these thoughts and emotions swirling around, she found that rest evaded her and she tossed and turned most of the night, never quite falling into a dreamful slumber.

Jack, on the other hand, was wide awake and speeding through his duties as a winter spirit! As he flew around the globe as fast as the wind could take him, he could only think of Rose.

It seemed like forever ago that he first saw her, though it had only been a few short days, and he had never dreamed that she would come to believe in him so quickly!

The only worry in the back of his mind as he practically dumped snow over every city he passed was that she might lose that belief.

She was, after all, not a child and as Jack knew, even children lost their belief after awhile. What could have possibly triggered that belief was still a bit of a mystery for him. She had mentioned something about stories from her childhood but that was definitely not enough to cause most people to actually _believe_ in things they thought impossible.

What mattered now to Jack though, was that she did believe in him. Surely that had to mean something as he honestly couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with joy when he thought of her (which at this point, was pretty much all the time).

The cold night air had never felt so refreshing and he hurried back to Burgess in time to see the sunrise, too excited about the prospect of meeting Rose again that day to worry about catching up on any sleep. As a Guardian, he didn't really need much anyway.

Clutching his staff, he settled back into his favorite tree to enjoy the sunrise and wait.

The faint light creeping in through the window of Rose's room signaled the start of the new day. This was both a blessing and a curse for her. She had warred with herself all night about whether or not she should actually talk to Jack today.

It wouldn't be long now until he said he would arrive.

Rose decided she should get up anyway and get ready for the day. She crept downstairs, careful not to wake up her father who was still sleeping soundly (it was, after all, a Saturday and she knew her father enjoyed sleeping in on the weekends), and made a few pieces of toast in the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

She ate the toast slowly, chewing very deliberately so she could waste a bit of time. She hated waking up too early but there was nothing she could do about it now. When she finished, she walked back upstairs and took a fast, slightly cool shower to wake up.

Walking back to her room in a towel, she looked over at the clock by her bed. Still only 7:30am… She would have to find some way to entertain herself.

She dried off and dressed in her favorite dark jeans and a nice deep purple sweater that complemented her light brown hair and her green eyes. It was one of her favorites that she had gotten for Christmas last year from her aunt.

She worked the knots out of her wet hair and dried it slowly on low heat so it wouldn't be so noisy.

Then she walked to the mirror and decided to put on just a little bit of mascara. She didn't usually wear much make up but she did like to accent her eyes just a bit.

When she was satisfied, she went back downstairs and poured a cup of coffee. She let out a small breath of air when she looked at the clock again and it was only 9am. Still another hour to go and she still wasn't sure if she even wanted this meeting to happen.

Rose poured some milk into her cup and a little bit of sugar. She felt like the coffee would do her some good after the lack of sleep from that night. She sipped the hot drink and looked over in the living room at the Christmas tree they had decorated.

Since they had moved so close to Christmas, the tree in the living room and the stockings over the fireplace mantel were really the only decorations they had put up. They decided to put up the tree the night they moved in so it was, at this point, the cornerstone of their current home.

Christmas was probably Rose's favorite holiday. All of the lights and magic and happiness of the season were always uplifting.

This year, however, she wasn't too sure how she felt about it. Of course it would be difficult without her mother but it was more than that.

Somehow all of the parts of Christmas she used to love seemed dull and listless now. Like there was no more magic to be found in the world.

Rose found herself clutching the mug of coffee in her hand as her head took on a familiar overwhelmed feeling. She focused back on her drink and waited for the arrival of the impossible.

After watching the sunrise, Jack had flown around town… a few times. He didn't actually carry a watch or anything that would tell time though he knew by the sun's position in the sky, around what time it was.

Checking the clock in the center of the town once more for finality, Jack decided showing up a few minutes early wasn't too bad. So at precisely 9:47am, he peeked through a window in the living room of Rose's home.

Rose had just finished brushing her teeth upstairs. She was planning to wash and put away her coffee mug before her father woke up and she was still deep in thought as she padded down the stairs.

The tapping noise coming from the window startled Rose and almost caused her to fall down the stairs! She grabbed the railing and clutched her chest with the other hand as if she just had a heart attack.

She looked over to the window to see Jack staring back a bit apologetically (though he also looked like he was trying pretty hard to hold back a laugh) and smiling at her.

Opening the window, Rose was greeted with a blast of cold air and she immediately shut it again behind Jack.

Turning around, she saw him standing there in front of her again. It should have been easier the second time to see him and not be shocked but she couldn't help looking him up and down in amazement.

His white hair looked like it might be as soft as newly fallen snow. His eyes shown a brighter blue than her imagination had portrayed and they looked into hers with the same kind of wonder she expressed. He still wore his blue sweatshirt with frost decorating the top and his brown pants that almost seemed to come from a different era. His feet were still bare but as strange as that was for her to see, she knew he wasn't cold.

How could someone look so pale but still manage to shine as though they were warm on the inside? His cheeks showed no blush but his lips looked soft…

Jack took in the sight of Rose and couldn't help but admire her simple beauty. She exuded warmth and light as though she was made of the sun's rays.

She seemed to be evaluating him as well. Jack began to lean on his staff as he watched her, not wanting to rush her process of reaffirming belief.

There was silence between the two of them until Rose snapped out of her trance and began to blush.

"So, um… would you like to sit down?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

A few deep snores came from her father's bedroom and she was suddenly reminded of the fact that he was home. He would definitely think she had gone crazy if he couldn't see Jack… Maybe she had gone crazy.

"Actually, let me get my coat and we can go outside" Rose said, "I don't want to wake dad up."

Jack nodded and waited for Rose to put on a pair of boots, gloves, a scarf, and a coat before she opened the door to the front yard, gesturing for him to go first.

Both of them outside, she shut the front door but made sure to leave it unlocked for when she returned home.

"Well, I guess we can walk back to the park again. At least if we sit there, this early on a weekend, not too many people will pass by and think I'm talking to myself" Rose smiled as she said this and Jack laughed a bit at the end.

"That's fine by me" he said. "The park is one of my favorite places in town."

They began to walk, Jack staying on the ground so as not to startle her too much, and they reached the park a lot faster than Rose thought possible. Most of the walk was silent except for a few comments here and there about the weather or a particularly well built snowman on the way.

Once they reached a bench to sit down, they settled in and Jack opened the floor for Rose's questions.

She wanted to know first why it was that she could actually see him and what that meant.

Jack explained to Rose about the power of belief and confirmed what she thought to be true that her father likely would not be able to see.

"You really have no idea how much it means to me that you can see me" Jack said to Rose. She could see something in his eyes as he told her this. Something sad and lonely that seemed to carry weight with it. She thought about this as he explained.

"It's taken a very long time for me to gain any kind of believers at all" he started.

He explained all about how he had first been ignored and unseen and how terrible it had felt to have no one at all believe in him.

He cringed a bit when she asked him how old he was. He looked down, away from her and took a deep breath before deciding to be honest, "I was 18 years old when I died."

Pausing there, he dared to look up at her for a moment to see her reaction. He expected shock and maybe even disgust. He never really told any of the children about this part of his life. It was never something they asked about or needed to know.

She looked back at him not with disgust but with sympathy and a kind of sadness he didn't know.

"It's alright, though" he continued slowly, "at first, when I woke up like this," he gestured down to the rest of his body, "I didn't understand why I was here or who I was before this life. For more than 300 years I was alone."

Rose held her gaze, waiting patiently to hear the rest.

"Only a few years ago, I was chosen to be a Guardian by the Man in the Moon." Jack looked at Rose again before deciding to go with the full story.

"You may not entirely believe me, but there are others like me," he began, "other Guardians like Santa Claus, we call him North, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy.

"There are also other legends that are not Guardians but are still just as real, like the Leprechaun and the Groundhog.

"The difference between us and them is just that as Guardians, we are sworn to protect the children of the Earth and foster their belief in us to help them grow up with their innocence."

Here, Rose interrupted Jack and asked, "What would you be protecting children from exactly?"

"Fear" Jack replied, "and the sadness and despair it brings." He began to explain to Rose about Pitch Black and how the Man in the Moon had chosen him those few years ago and the events that transpired to lead up to now. He even told her about finding his memories and how he had found peace with his death and his new life.

He twirled his staff in his hands as he talked and she just listened quietly and intently, taking it all in.

When he was finished, Rose let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"This is a lot to take in, Jack" she started, "but I think I do believe you… and I'm sorry to hear what you've had to go through." She had honestly felt her heart breaking when he was telling her about living for so long all alone. She wished there was something she could do to ease that pain but there was no way to go back in time and fix it.

She put her gloved hand on top of his before adding, "I'm glad that things are getting better for you."

He felt the warmth of her hand through the glove and felt the familiar feeling of unnatural heat spread through his chest, bringing a smile to his lips in return. He turned his hand and held onto hers, feeling the sting of those 300 years melting away through this connection.

They sat like that for a moment before he had an idea.

"Would you like to see what I can do?" he asked her.

She could tell he was excited to show off some of his powers and she couldn't help but admit that she was curious. She beamed back up and him and smiled saying, "I would love to!"

With that he explained to her about his control over the winter elements. He told her about the wind carrying him in the air and how he could whisper anywhere in the world and it would fly him there.

He told her about his staff and how it helped him to conjure snow and frost. He showed her how it channeled his powers by tapping a nearby tree branch and causing bright white ice to appear in the spot.

She was having a ton of fun telling him what to freeze next, and watching as he made it snow only around her wherever she went.

All unhappy thoughts vanished from her mind as she acted like a child out here with Jack.

He even convinced her (after a lot of arguing) to let him carry her on his back up into the air (just around the park so she could get used to the feeling of flying).

She climbed onto his back and wrapped her hands around his neck, gripping tightly the material on the front of his sweatshirt. She buried her head into his hood and let out a small squeal when they first took off from the ground, eliciting a laugh from Jack as he yelled for her to hold on tight!

Soon she was laughing along with him, relishing the feeling of flight! She loved the sensation of the wind whipping through her hair and the view of the tops of the trees as they zoomed by!

She also secretly loved the feeling of Jack's arms under her legs, supporting her and the coolness of his back as she clung to him.

She nestled her head on his shoulder and felt the softness of his hair which apparently really was just like the feeling of freshly fallen snow.

He even smelled like the cold morning air of winter with a slight hint of peppermint. It was almost intoxicating and she felt as if she was running on some kind of high from the experience as he let her down again gently. Her heart fluttered as she got off of his back and stood on solid ground once more.

Jack turned to see her again after the flight and was pleased to see that she had obviously enjoyed the ride. He laughed a bit at the sight of her windblown hair and he unconsciously moved to tuck a piece behind her ear.

His hand paused there for only a moment before he realized what he was doing and pulled away quickly, suddenly embarrassed. Why did she make him feel embarrassed? What exactly had he been feeling just then?

Rose noticed this change in emotion and moved just a step closer to Jack.

"Thank you for the ride" she said, "it was absolutely amazing!"

He looked at her again and noticed the earnestness in her voice. He still couldn't believe she was being so calm about everything he had told her.

Her eyes held a trust and belief in him that he didn't think possible. Maybe she didn't even notice, but what he saw in her meant everything to him and he realized that he couldn't be happier that he had met her.

Though neither had paid any attention, they had spent almost the entire day together at the park. It was almost time for dinner and Rose had to be heading home.

_Dad might really be worried about me. I should have left a note or something!_ Rose thought to herself as they walked back away from the park.

"I think I know something you might enjoy" Jack told her, "if you are willing to believe in another Guardian, it might be a pretty cool experience for you."

"I suppose there isn't much reason for me not to believe in anything anymore" Rose answered.

Jack's face lit up again into his mischievous grin as they came upon her house.

"Alright then. I'll meet you at the window again tonight, after the sun has gone down. Then I'll show you what I mean" he said.

Jack walked Rose up to the door and thanked her for being so open about everything he had told her.

Rose thanked him for being honest and of course, for letting her fly with him! She waved goodbye like she was parting with a best friend before promising to wait for him at the window that night and shutting the door behind her. She watched him fly off from the window before taking off her coat, boots, scarf, and gloves to help her father make dinner.

As much as she still had conflicting thoughts about the propriety of liking him, she couldn't pretend anymore that she did, in fact, really like Jack.

Even as she helped cook and talked with her father, she couldn't help remembering Jack's stories about his life and the Guardians. She couldn't help but remember the feeling of his hand in hers and the softness of his hair. She could still almost smell the comforting aroma that came from him and feel the wind on her face as they flew through the air.

Whatever tonight held, surely it couldn't get better than that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Thank you all for the reviews of this story! I'm really enjoying reading them all and I'm so glad to hear that people are liking this! **

**Sorry if this chapter gets a bit too fluffy at the end. I thought it was really cute but idk. **

**This one is a bit smaller than the last two but to be fair, I managed to upload in one day again so believe me, that is an accomplishment!**

**Please Read and Review! I love hearing from you guys and I do use your thoughts when I'm writing so let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 6**

Jack flew away from Rose's house in a state of delighted disbelief. He wasn't quite sure how he had expected his talk with her to go that day in the park but he certainly didn't expect her to accept what he told her right off the bat.

Seeing her face as she took in every word, Jack had noticed several different emotions play on her features.

He was somewhat prepared to see the question and shock on her face. He had even, as much as he could, prepared himself to see disgust, confusion, and contempt. He was, after all, almost 300 years older than her… not to mention he had died before.

Contemplating what he was going to tell her, he had thought this through and decided it was pretty creepy. He had purposefully never told any of the children before. Not that they ever really pressed the subject of his immortality.

Children were too innocent and trusting to wonder about the origins of a winter spirit that flew through the air and made snow fall from the sky. Jack had always loved the caring and loving nature of small children. It was what had driven him to keep using his powers even when no one believed.

It was what drove him to take his little sister's place on the thin ice that last day of his human life…

Now Jack had been driven to trust the judgment of this girl he had really only just met… and her reaction had stunned him.

Not only did she seem to believe what he told her, though it must have sounded as crazy as could be, but she looked at him with respect, admiration, sympathy, and a hint of something else that, he couldn't be sure, but he thought was some degree of liking.

He couldn't have been more relieved to see this response in her. He had that now too familiar feeling that there was something more to her. Something that gave him that lighter than air feeling he was experiencing now as he flew through the forest and back to his pond.

Not having much to do until nightfall, he stood on the frozen water and began to slide gracefully around in circles, adding layers to the ice to be sure it wasn't too thin. Never again would someone meet their death here. Jack had made sure of that since he had found his memories.

As strange as it may seem, Jack found a peace and solemnity at the pond. It was the first place he had ever met the Man in the Moon and heard his new name.

He loved who he had become and now, fully understanding his place in the world and his responsibilities to the children who he loved, everything had seemed to fall into place.

Now if he could just figure out what Rose meant to him…

Rose could hardly wait until night fell and Jack would return.

At this point she wasn't really sure if she had just finally given up all sanity and believed everything that Jack said, or if the honesty she had seen in his troubled eyes had just broken her.

She thought about the story he had told her of his death. Morbid a thought though it was, she was touched that he had given up his life to save his sister. The sadness she had seen in his eyes as he told her the story of that day…

She thought he might cry and wondered in a moment of insane clarity, whether or not he could cry and if his tears would maybe just freeze on his cheeks…

The way he had looked up at her next though, took her off her guard. He actually smiled up at her with a look that told her everything was alright. He was genuinely happy about what had happened and his lot in life.

That was when Rose had decided she needed him.

If Jack could recover from the horror of his own death, hundreds of years of not knowing who he was, and then realizing his identity only to come to terms with the fact that anyone he knew or loved that many years ago, has long since died, surely Rose could someday find peace in the tragedy of this past year.

She just needed him to show her how to move on.

Slowly, Rose had begun to think less and less of how badly it had hurt to lose her mother. She still thought of her often but it seemed that the pain in her chest was finally starting to leave.

She couldn't deny the almost girlish liking she had quickly developed for Jack.

Crazy that in a few short days, so much had been brought to light for her.

She scratched her arm mindlessly as she waited by the window. Her father had gone to bed already after giving her a strange look.

Rose could tell that her father was noticing this change in her. She felt a little guilty about not spending more time with him today.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. She would make it a point to spend the day with him… She still needed to wrap his gift.

Tonight however, she was eager to find out what it was Jack wanted to show her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the same tapping noise she had heard that morning. This time she was ready and opened the window quickly to let him in.

As soon as Jack was inside, she shut the window and smiled up at him.

"We have to be quiet if we stay here" she told him, "Dad is asleep down the hall."

She pointed past the stairs away from the kitchen to her father's room.

"That's alright" he half-whispered back to her, "We don't need to make any noise. I just wanted to show you the magic of dreams."

Curious, Rose lifted one eyebrow and gave Jack a look that said she clearly did not understand what he meant.

He smiled at her in return and sighed, "Do you remember what I told you? About there being others like me?"

She slowly nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Well, Sandy should be coming by soon to send dreams to the children now that it's dark outside… The sandman that is."

It was somewhat amusing to watch the pieces fall into place in Rose's mind. It was as if a light bulb had just turned on inside her head and he could practically hear the click.

Her eyes lit up as she understood what he was talking about and she began to think about this prospect. It wasn't too difficult to trust his word and the idea of seeing the dreams was too amazing to pass up. She signaled to a couch and Jack helped her to turn it around to face the window.

"It might help if we turn out the lights" Jack said, with a hand to the switch on the wall.

"Oh! Just give me a second!" Rose said as she walked into the kitchen.

After a few moments, she returned with a lit candle. Holding it in one hand and covering it to protect it from the moving air as she walked to place it on the small table next to the window.

With that, Jack flipped the switch and they sat, side by side, with a front row seat of the nightly show.

As they sat on the couch, so close to one another, Rose could feel the coolness of Jack's skin radiating through his clothes. It wasn't very late but, not having gotten much sleep the night before, she began to nod off, leaning a bit on his shoulder.

Jack looked down at her and smiled, enjoying the warmth she provided, relaxing into the couch.

It only took a few minutes before Jack tensed up on the couch and grabbed her arm. With his other hand he pointed out the window.

"Here he comes" he whispered to her.

Rose looked out the window where he had pointed and let out a small gasp.

There, up in the sky, there seemed to be flowing golden strands of moving particles. She realized this must be the sand that created dreams.

It looked as if thousands of these were flowing in every direction, flowing like streams all coming from a single source that floated high up in the sky.

She couldn't quite make out the shape of whoever was controlling the sand but she wasn't too concerned about that.

To her further amazement, the streams of dream sand moved and changed shapes as they made their way to their intended sleepers. Images of butterflies, puppies, waves on a beach, or even kids having snowball fights burst into life in the night sky!

It was the most amazing thing Rose had seen! Her eyes filled with wonder and awe at the extravagance of the entire show.

"Does this really happen every night?" Rose asked as she wondered how on earth she could have missed this all her life.

"Every night like clockwork" Jack replied, "most people never see this only because they don't know it's there… they don't believe."

He looked at her then with that same crooked smile plastered on his face. It seemed like such a boyish look but his eyes were full of maturity and understanding. She settled herself back to her previous position on his shoulder as she continued to watch the incredible display.

"Thank you, Jack" she yawned, "This is wonderful."

Jack leaned his head back against hers. He couldn't help but to inhale her comforting scent. He couldn't quite place it exactly but it brought back memories of grass after the rain in spring and the tea leaves his mother used to use all those years ago…

Her steady heartbeat the only thing now holding him to this moment.

He would need to thank Sandy somehow for this later.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay this chapter is super short but I think its kind of precious so hopefully you all will too! **

**I'm really busy with classes starting again but I promise I am trying! I will get more out after this first hectic week!**

**I hope everyone enjoys this one and as always, please Review! :) I love reading them all and I will get to more shout outs as the chapters go on :)**

**Chapter 7**

Jack had always loved watching the dream sand go by. Whenever he could spare a moment from his duties, he would stop and stare at the magic of the golden sand.

He couldn't really understand how, even after all those years, he could be still, hanging for a moment in the air, watching the dreams of the children float through the air.

Jack was probably the closest of friends with Sandy. He was, after all, the first of the Guardians that had bothered to acknowledge Jack when he was first chosen to be reborn. Even without speaking, Sandy just had a way about him, something Jack found comforting, and he had found himself seeking advice from the older Guardian when he felt lonely or upset.

Seeing the dreams floating by tonight with Rose, watching the utter amazement and awe on her face, he couldn't explain it but it felt like he was seeing the sand for the first time all over again. It was like a new experience now that he was watching it with her.

He breathed in her somewhat familiar scent and thought about how strange a feeling it was to be with her. He felt a sort of giddy excitement like electricity running through his body.

The only thing Jack could compare it to was the feeling he got when a child first believed in him or the feeling of a fun day spent out in the snow playing games and playing pranks.

This was something more than that though. Jack had never really felt this way and if he was honest, it scared him a little bit. It was as if he had no room for mistakes. He wanted so badly to have her approval, he lost some of his natural confidence and playfulness in an effort to carefully keep her by his side, constantly afraid he might scare her off or scared that this would all turn out to be just a dream…

The sand was still floating along outside but Jack was tossed out of his thoughts at the feeling of dead weight against his side. He looked over to see that Rose had fallen asleep!

All of her features were relaxed and her expression serene and peaceful.

Jack shifted slightly and Rose shivered for a moment as she stirred in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowing together slightly before relaxing again.

Jack felt a pang of guilt for this. He had forgotten how cold his skin must feel to her. He looked around and decided not to wake her up, not knowing where her father was or where her room might be. His eyes locked on a blanket draped around another armchair in the living room and, ever so slightly, eased his way from Rose's side.

He grabbed the blanket and draped it lightly around her sleeping form, taking comfort in her seemingly more relaxed position. He picked up his staff which he had sat next to the couch when they had first sat down. He slowly opened the window and quietly slipped outside again, shutting it behind him.

Glancing back at Rose, Jack put his hand on the outside of the window and channeled some of his powers through his hand onto the glass.

When he took his hand away, he smiled at the window and took off into the night air among the golden sand.

Rose's eyes opened then for just a moment and in her half-dreaming state, she could only make out an immense feeling of warmth… and a perfectly frosted handprint.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello again everyone! I know school is slowing me down considerably but hopefully you all are patient people! **

**Here is the next Chapter! Get excited about Chapter 9 because more big things are yet to come! :)**

**Please Review!**

**Chapter 8**

Rose awoke to the smell of coffee and a light tapping on her shoulder.

"Morning sleepy-head!" her father said in an all-too-chipper manner as he handed her a steaming mug. "Want some coffee?"

She slowly pulled herself up and took the hot drink in both of her hands as she let out a yawn. Blinking, she gradually became aware of her surroundings. She was still in the living room on the couch where she and Jack had watched the dream sand last night…

She sat up then suddenly, almost spilling the coffee in her hand. Eyes wide, she looked around for a moment before realizing he was gone. The sudden motion had caused the blanket that was covering her to fall. She wondered briefly how it had gotten there.

"You sure picked an interesting place to sleep" her father stated, looking at her curiously. He took a sip of his own coffee before leaning to look out the window. "Was there some kind of meteor shower I missed last night?"

Rose looked up at him and shook her head. She sat up a bit straighter and pushed her long hair behind her ears. "Not really…" she began, "I was just uh, looking at the sky. I didn't mean to fall asleep down here." She shrugged, "I guess I was more tired than I thought."

Chuckling a little, he moved the couch back around with her in it. Then he proceeded to sit down next to her and said, "Well, since today is Christmas Eve, I thought we could spend the day together! Maybe go see a movie or something in town and then have a nice dinner somewhere."

Rose smiled at him. It broke her heart to think back on the wonderful meals her mom had always prepared for them. Her dad had never exactly been the best cook so going out to eat tonight seemed more appropriate than staying here in this new house with old memories lingering in their minds.

They both knew this was not going to be an easy Christmas. There was no way of getting around that fact. Nothing would bring back his loving, devoted wife and her caring mother. Also, now they were so far from their hometown in Maine, most of their relatives were too far to visit this year.

With all this in mind, and the heavy shadow of dread lurking in the depths of their hearts, it seemed fitting that they spend today together away from the house as much as possible.

"Sounds great, dad!" Rose said, "Let me just finish my coffee and take a shower and I'll be ready to go!"

"Take your time!" he replied, "I'm not in a hurry!" The excitement in his face told Rose that he was relieved she was alright with this plan. "Oh hey, look!" he said excitedly as he pointed to the window.

It was mostly frosted over from the night. Small fern-like patterns of ice seemed to be frozen in a dance across the glass. There, in the middle of the window, remained the perfect shape of a hand. Rose's eyes widened in shock as the fuzzy memory came back to her.

She had assumed the hand print had been part of a dream. Now, she couldn't help but stare in amazement at the frost. Without thinking, she pressed her own hand against the shape of the ice, pulling back at the sudden chill.

"There's a flock of geese passing by! They're a little late for heading south, don't you think?" her father said, pointing out the window to the sky.

Rose looked back at him, confused. Had he really not noticed the distinct shape of a hand on the glass? She looked between him and the window. It seemed clear as day to her…

"Uh, yeah… I guess they didn't get the memo" she said in reference to the geese that her father was so clearly distracted by.

She finished her coffee quickly and started up the stairs to her room. She pondered her father's ignorance of Jack's handprint on the window as she showered and brushed her teeth. It made sense, she supposed, that if he didn't believe in Jack, he probably wouldn't notice things like that… Still, it felt odd to know that she could actually _see_ something he couldn't. She felt almost guilty, like she was keeping a secret from him. Surely though, he would never believe her if she told him. Wrapping the gift she had for him, she placed it under the tree with a look that said, no peeking!

The two spent the rest of the day in a state of blissful happiness together. Hours seemed to fly by as Rose and her father browsed around the town talking and laughing, keeping focused on the good in life and not on the emptiness they both still felt. It was nice to be able to spend time with family.

Jack, on the other hand, spent the day mostly alone. Being Christmas Eve, most people would be home with their families so not even the children were out to play. Even his newfound family of Guardians were all too busy to hang out with, sending extra special Christmas dreams, preparing for Easter which was now only a few short months away, and opening up memories to remind children of the wonder in the world and the magic in this night. North was already off delivering toys to the parts of the world that were already dark.

Jack was used to this by now but that fact didn't stop him from feeling the sting of loneliness. He soared through the air and mostly followed North's path, spreading snow over places he might have missed the previous few nights.

He had lingered for only awhile in Burgess to see Rose and her father heading through town. They looked so happy together, he knew he shouldn't bother her today.

Having his human memories back was both a blessing and a curse to Jack. In the 300 years he had spent alone before becoming a Guardian, he had certainly felt lonely and a bit unloved. He had always wanted so badly to know why he was there but now, knowing he had once had a family, his loneliness seemed to only increase.

Though he kept it from the other Guardians, he was often left wondering what happened to his family and often found himself almost wishing he had lived out his human life. At least he could have enjoyed a few years in the warmth and love of a family…

The wind carrying him seemed to wrap itself around him now in a comforting manner. Somehow, it was as if it knew when Jack was upset.

"Alright, let's go home" he sighed, as he put the finishing touches on Alaska's icy tree branches. He gripped his staff and shut his eyes as he was carried over the clouds.

In his mind, he pictured the caring, happy look on Rose's face that he had seen as he watched them walk through the town. A light smile began to show on his features. The image was soothing to him and he concentrated on that thought until he was lightly dropped down into his favorite tree.

He sat with his knees hugged to his chest and his staff held lightly between his fingers across his legs. He pulled the hood of his blue sweatshirt up onto his head and rested his chin on his knees.

With a significant amount of time left before sunset, Jack sat in the silence as he watched the snow that had steadily begun to fall around him.

Even if he had no one to spend this day with, he was glad that Rose was happy. This level of care that he held for her was foreign to him. He always cared about the children's happiness and fun but Rose was no longer a child. With her, it was different.

A feeling just as genuine as he felt for the children but more frustrating in a way because he felt almost powerless to do anything about it. He cared for the children as a brother would care for his younger sister but with Rose, he couldn't quite tell what the difference was, but it was definitely a different type of caring.

He let out a sigh and shut his eyes once more to concentrate on her smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a while! Getting back into the swing of things with classes and meetings and such has been a bit difficult but it should be slowing back down so hopefully things will pick up again!**

**Well it's taken 9 Chapters but, as I like to say, patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait :)**

**Warning for this Chapter: it gets a little fluffy in my opinion but maybe after prolonging it for this long, you guys will appreciate the sentiment.**

**Anyway, enjoy :)**

**Chapter 9**

Rose and her father came back to the house late that night after having a nice dinner in town at a small family owned Italian restaurant they had found. As her father pulled the car into the garage and shut off the engine, the two of them emerged, still laughing after reminiscing about the movie they had watched earlier in the day.

As the laughter died down however, both of them began to yawn. Clearly, it was time for bed. With a smile and a quick hug goodnight, Rose and her father both headed toward their separate rooms.

Rose felt tired but she put on her pajamas as fast as she could and jumped on her bed before opening the blinds to her window. She lay across the covers and stared in wonder as the first few strands of dream sand began to float through the air. She had been somewhat unsure whether or not she would really be able to see it again. Now fully transfixed again on the waves of golden sand out of her window, she felt reassured and firm in the fact that all of this was real.

On that thought, she wondered about what Jack had told her the other day about the other fairy tale people he called "Guardians." She remembered him briefly talking about each one and what they did for the children of the earth. Obviously, the sandman had to be real as she could see him working now…

What about Santa Claus? Tonight was, after all, Christmas Eve. Surely he would be out too, right? Jack had called him North…

Rose looked outside and saw nothing but the golden sand still drifting about through the air. She was quite skeptical about this particular myth. She had maybe believed in Santa when she was very little but couldn't really recall a time in her life when she had actually wholeheartedly believed in those stories.

Seeing nothing outside her window at the moment, she decided that her belief would have to depend on what the next morning brought.

She pondered for a moment on how much easier it was to believe in things like that when Jack was around. Somehow, his influence on her could push her to truly acknowledge the impossible like the dream sand. Of course, it was easier to focus and believe something when you are so close to living magic and the impossible.

When she was with Jack, secretly she felt as though she was a part of his unseen world. Without him here, she was finding it difficult to put faith into it again…

These thoughts swimming around her mind began to cloud her thoughts and she started to feel heavy and exhausted.

She leaned back against her pillows and sighed deeply, being lulled to sleep by the dreams floating by.

While Rose slept peacefully in her warm bed, all kinds of magic took place within the unseen world. One of Tooth's fairies was busy collecting a small upper left incisor from the 6 year old boy who lived next door, Sandy was creating extra elaborate and wonderful dreams for the children on this special night, and North of course, was currently popping up and down chimneys with Christmas gifts for those good children who still believed. Even Bunnymund was quickly becoming more and more busy preparing everything for Easter within the next few months in his warren.

As North passed Rose's home, he felt a small tug as if there might be someone in the house who believed, but it was so slight and left so suddenly, he decided to ignore it, knowing that the only two inhabitants of the home had long since stopped believing in the Guardians.

Jack seemed to be the only one with nothing to do. Having already covered every feasible inch of the cold world in snow or ice, he was content to sit on some of the higher tree branches, watching the others fly by as they performed their duties and brought light and joy to the children of Burgess.

Only really having a few seconds to see each of them as they passed by, he smiled and waved, acknowledging their busy schedules.

He was in a slightly better mood tonight, after having some time to think over his feelings and attempting to sort them out, he had been able to relax and enjoy the setting sun again. He didn't know why he found it so amazing but something about the colors of the sky cast everything into a warm glow that he found comforting. While watching it tonight however, he had found he could only think of Rose, even found himself wondering if she ever took the time to enjoy the end of the day like this…

As soon as North had passed over Burgess and Jack could be certain he wouldn't slow the sleigh down, he waved his staff in a gently gliding motion and a light flurry of soft, feathery snow began to fall once more throughout the town and into the morning light.

Rose was rather harshly awakened by a loud thump and what felt like an earthquake! Heart pounding, eyes wide open, she shot up out of bed and almost kicked her father in the face!

He laughed as he stopped shaking the bed frame and Rose yelled, "You almost just gave me a heart attack!"

She took a few deep breaths to calm down as he replied, "time to get up, sleepy head! It's Christmas morning!"

The excitement in the large, scruffy man's eyes was almost so comical it was frightening. Rose turned to look at the alarm clock on her bedside table.

"Jeez, dad! It's barely 7a.m.!" she exclaimed.

"I know! I couldn't wait any longer! Get up already!" he answered her with a twinkle in his bright green eyes.

He pulled her up out of bed but she detached herself long enough to get across, "alright, dad! Have it your way! Give me a minute to put a sweatshirt on and I'll be right downstairs."

This seemed to appease him because he smiled a huge grin and half jogged down to the living room.

Rose had to laugh on the inside. Her dad was a bit of big kid but he certainly kept life interesting! She smiled as she found an old Penn State sweatshirt in the back of her closet. She had gotten it for Christmas last year when she found out she had been accepted into the college. Her mother had given it to her… She had seemed so proud the day the letter had come in the mail.

Rose pushed those thoughts away and focused on the happiness of today. She put the sweatshirt on over her head and pulled her long hair out from the material and let it fall down her back.

She walked down the stairs and commenced the gift unwrapping!

Her father was extremely happy about his new power drill and some of the other odds and ends Rose had found for him. Rose was very pleased with the new pair of black snow boots her father had gotten her and especially a very nice new checkered scarf.

After a while, they were down to the last package. Rose couldn't think of anything else she had wanted so unwrapping the paper was pretty exciting. Finally opening the box, she found a pair of white ice skates, brand new and beautiful, the blades shining a bit in the light of the room.

"I have to go back to work tomorrow," her father began as she admired the skates, "and I found an ice skating rink just outside of town the other day, so I figured maybe you might like to pick up skating again while I'm away. Just to keep yourself busy."

She beamed back up at him and said, "they're wonderful, dad! Thanks!"

She couldn't help but be excited looking at the skates. She had loved ice skating when she was young but it had been a while since she had gotten back into it. Besides, her father was right, he would be back to working most of the days and classes didn't start back up for almost another month. She would need something to occupy her time for sure. Maybe she could meet some new friends at the rink.

In all the happiness and the togetherness Rose felt now, she couldn't help but wonder what Jack was doing. She looked over to see the handprint on the glass was gone now. She wondered when she would see him next. There was definitely a new kind of emptiness now when he wasn't there.

Sometimes she thought she had gotten so used to the feeling of missing her mother that she couldn't always tell anymore when she was missing something else. Now she thought about that and wondered just how much she missed her new friend. He definitely brought joy to her when he was around and something else, a kind of wholeness that seemed to make her remember the good times and the feeling of being surrounded by love…

Just as that thought occurred to her though, she looked up out of the window and locked eyes with the white haired boy once again.

Immediately, her heart began to speed up as she smiled at him through the window.

Jack was surprised at the reaction he got from Rose.

He had really just meant to stop by for a second to get a glimpse of her smile as she enjoyed Christmas with her father. Never had he expected her to notice him (he really had to get used to the whole no longer invisible thing) and he certainly hadn't expected what came next.

She gestured to him with an index finger in the air as if to say, hold on, I'll be right there.

Rose ran to the kitchen and wrote a quick note to her father:

Dad,

Gone for a walk to try out the new boots! Be back in a few!

Love,

Rose

He was just getting into the shower now so she should have plenty of time before he was ready to start the day. Without thinking too much, she pulled her new boots on over her pajama pants and threw on an older navy coat, grabbing a pair of white gloves as she ran out the front door.

"Hey!" she called to Jack as she half-jogged over to him. He looked caught off guard, awkward almost, as if he didn't quite know what to do. She slowed down, "want to go for a walk?"

That seemed to kick start his brain again and he gave her a smile and a small nod.

"Where do you want to walk?" he asked. She shrugged in response and when he didn't seem to know where to go, she took his hand and somewhat pulled him for a second, heading for the wooded area down the road before taking her hand back to put her gloves on.

She wouldn't admit it, but she really liked the feel of his cold hand covering hers.

"Don't you want to stay in with your dad today?" Jack asked.

"It's alright. He takes forever to shower and get ready. I just want to take a walk." She looked toward him with a familiar smile before showing off her new boots. "Do you like these? Dad got them for me!"

Jack looked down at her feet and nodded in approval before thinking about what she had said. "Did North bring you anything then?" he asked.

Rose thought about it for a moment. Honestly, she had somewhat forgotten about what Jack had told her about Santa Claus.

"No, I suppose not…" she said, "It's alright though; dad and I managed pretty well by ourselves."

There was a period of silence as they walked through the woods and Rose figured that Jack probably didn't want to press the subject of her apparent disbelief.

"So how was your Christmas Eve?" she asked him, mostly to change the subject.

Jack seemed to cringe at this question for a second, just long enough for Rose to take notice. He looked down and shrugged. "It was alright, I guess… just adding more flurries here and there."

She looked at him and her eyebrows furrowed slightly on her face. He looked up at her and she could see pain hidden in his icy blue eyes. She gave him an encouraging nod, pressing for more to the answer.

He sighed, "I usually spend the holidays alone," he admitted. "The other Guardians are pretty busy this time of year and most people are indoors spending time with family."

She suddenly felt as if she had swallowed a large cube of ice and it was stuck in her throat. She had almost forgotten what he had told her the other day in the park. Though she had been partially in a state of shock, she now remembered his story about becoming what he was now. He had been unable to remember his family until recently… By now they were certainly all long gone.

Jack seemed to notice this upset her and he shrugged.

"It's alright, really. After more than 300 years, I'm used to it." He gave her a weak smile.

They had reached the pond where Jack spent most of his time. He paused and looked down on the ice, thinking about his life.

Rose followed his gaze and looked at the small body of water. Jack seemed different right now, not his usual bubbly, excited self. Maybe the holidays took a toll on him having to create all the wintry weather.

Suddenly, she remembered the details of his death…

"Is this… I mean, this isn't where you… where you died is it?" her voice grew weaker as she spoke.

He seemed to snap out of his thoughts and looked up at her. She looked petrified and white, as if she had seen a ghost. Maybe he was a ghost to her…

He simply nodded and one side of his mouth turned up in a strange kind of smile.

Jack hadn't thought too much about his mortal life in a long time since he had his memories back. Looking at her now, he realized how crazy all of this was!

Rose was overcome with empathy now toward Jack. She began to think back and realized just how consumed with loneliness she had been after the loss of her mother. She hadn't even considered how he must feel. Though he was the one who had technically died, his life had been renewed and left him to feel the emptiness and loneliness of missing out on the lives of those he loved. How could he stand to live so long without anyone to lean on or talk with?

Tears began to fill her eyes but she choked them back and, still staring at the ice, took his hand again in hers.

She felt him grip her hand back tightly and noticed his shoulders relax just a bit. They both stared at the pond in silence for a minute.

Jack wasn't sure why Rose seemed to be upset again. When she slid her hand into his once more, he made sure to tighten the grip, afraid for a moment that she might let go again.

The giddy feeling of excitement and warmth he got whenever she was near began to overpower his earlier feelings of heartache and invisibility. He could feel the warmth of her hands through her gloves and he turned to see her looking at him again. The green of her eyes seemed to be even more beautiful with the slight puffiness and redness of the tears she held back.

Both of them stared at one another, locked in the moment and in the eyes of one another.

Suddenly, Rose moved forward, her face just inches from his. She stopped and closed her eyes; head tilted downward, breathing in his now familiar scent.

Jack sighed back to her, his hand still holding hers in a firm grip. Without thinking, he dropped his staff and put his other hand up to her face and felt the smoothness of her cheek.

Rose inhaled sharply for a moment but her eyes remained shut and she leaned her face into his hand, enjoying the cold sensation of his skin against hers.

A million thoughts and emotions floated between the two.

Rose's heart was thumping wildly in her chest but somehow, she felt calm and though the cold air and the touch of his skin were icy, she felt warmth radiate through her from her chest to her toes.

Jack wasn't even sure what he was doing but he too, marveled at the strange calm that had overcome him in this moment. Finally, he was beginning to recognize and admit to himself the difference he found in Rose that set her apart from all the others. Some kind of genuine bond existed here in the space between them and it flowed like an electric energy. He had never felt so alive and so at peace all at one time.

As if on cue, Rose opened her eyes just long enough to see the smile on Jack's face. Though it was different from his usual playful smirk, she saw his heart laid out on his expression. His eyes seemed to sparkle like the magic that fueled the light within him.

He leaned his head down and closed the space between them.

Rose felt her eyes flutter shut as she leaned in to the light kiss, breathing in as the coolness of his lips shocked her for an instant.

Jack couldn't believe what he was doing! Somehow, perhaps long gone emotions seemed to spring up within him and guide his actions and suddenly he was kissing her! He had never kissed a girl before! He froze for a second before feeling her lean in. He guessed that it was alright because she certainly hadn't pulled back… Her lips felt as soft as kissing a flower petal in spring.

For once, he felt the cold of a snowflake on his face before he realized what was happening.

He broke away from her in a daze and looked up to see that it was snowing. He chuckled in a moment of mild insanity thinking how funny it was that he had caused the change in weather without noticing.

He looked back at her and smiled wider than he thought he ever had. She looked back at him with the same kind of wonder and relief he seemed to feel.

"Wow" was all he could manage, as he bent down to pick up his discarded staff.

Rose smiled at him in return, unable to think of anything to say back to him. There was his normal, playful grin plastered back on his face, wider and brighter than ever before. She was sure she was blushing like mad now but seeing the look of dazed happiness on his face, she didn't care. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest as she felt his arms circle her. In this moment now, everything was peaceful and serene, all thoughts of pain or sorrow utterly vanished in the realization and acceptance of this bond they had found.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Told you the updates would come faster again :) Please read and review! **

**Chapter 10**

Rose wasn't too sure what had come over her. Here she was hugging Jack, face buried into him as if she could shut out the rest of the world. She breathed in the smell of his blue hooded sweatshirt, a mixture of mint and the fresh smell of crisp morning air. It was soothing to her, being this close to him.

All of it still seemed so surreal for her. Had it really only been a few days since she met Jack? If someone had even told her she would be able to see Jack Frost before last week, she would have laughed them off. Here he was though, real as could be and he had kissed her!

She began to giggle and pushed herself away from his embrace. He looked a little bit concerned but still seemed to be in some kind of trance and let her step back for a minute.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, looking as though he thought he had done something wrong.

Somehow this seemed even funnier to her and she laughed a little bit harder, struggling to contain herself.

Once she regained composure, she looked back up at him and said, "I'm fine! I'm sorry I don't know why this is so funny it's just… I've never felt this way before and," she paused to have another small giggling fit, "I don't know. Everything just seems unreal right now."

She was literally so overcome with such unprovoked happiness that she wasn't quite sure how to let it out.

Jack still looked uneasy and she supposed she hadn't really clearly indicated how she felt so again without thinking, she leaned up to plant a small kiss on his lips.

It was insane to her how easy this was! She had dated guys before but Rose was usually not this bold by any means! She thought for a second that maybe she had gone crazy and made this whole thing up!

Jack seemed to recover then and she saw his childlike grin come back. He looked like he was also at a loss for reason and didn't quite know how to react but the snow falling around them thickened considerably and she wondered if that was his way of showing his excitement.

His shock vanished and Jack did another small flip in the air similar to when he first found out she could see him and he flew a few times around the area yelling like a boy who just won a snowball fight! Rose laughed as he showed off his aerial acrobatics.

When he touched back down to the ground he had to chuckle a bit himself to calm down before he said, "I've never kissed anyone before!" He paused to take a breath, "That felt great!"

Rose thought about that for a moment. Sure he was technically very old but really he was still so young at heart. Not to mention the fact that he grew up in a different time… He must not have had too many interactions with girls before.

Then again, she wasn't really that experienced either…

Another thought struck her then. "Oh! We have to go back soon! Dad might be done with his shower by now and I can't be gone for too long!"

This seemed to bring them both back to reality as they looked at one another before starting to walk (just a little bit slower than normal) back the way they had come.

Jack held out his hand this time and Rose gladly took it and swung her arm a few times playfully as they walked. The two of them talked quietly to one another as they walked about silly things like what school was like now or what was the coldest place on Earth.

As they neared the house again Rose said, "I'm sorry I always have to get back so quickly," she added, "after mom's accident, dad just gets worried."

She knew as soon as the words left her mouth that she had said too much. Jack gave her a concerned look before he said, "I didn't want to ask before but… what exactly happened to your mother?"

His look showed only innocent curiosity and Rose felt bad for him. _Now I really have gone crazy,_ she thought to herself, _feeling sorry for him when he caused her death._

_No, _she shook herself mentally, _he would never do that on purpose…_

She looked up at him and took her hand back. This caused a very slight, almost unnoticed frown to appear on his face for a moment but she knew she had to tell him the truth. They stopped in front of the still frozen snowman Rose and her father had made only a few days ago. Thankfully, the blinds to the living room had been drawn closed.

She took a shaky breath and then, "Last year, a few days after Christmas, mom was in a car accident."

Jack looked at her now with understanding and comfort in his eyes. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. He looked like he was about to say something encouraging to her so she stopped him with a hand up before continuing.

"I used to live in Northern Maine and there was a huge snowstorm that day. Mom, dad, and I went out to build a snowman like this one…" she paused as she touched the frozen carrot of a nose on the snowman in front of her.

"Mom went out that night to do some grocery shopping. She thought the roads were only going to get worse the next day so it was better to go out that night."

Rose could feel tears welling up again but she pushed them back and swallowed the familiar lump in her throat. She didn't dare look at Jack yet.

"The snow was coming down too thick and she couldn't see the bend before it was too late… Her car skidded off the road and she hit a tree… They said she was gone before the paramedics arrived…

"Since then, dad and I have tried really hard to make life normal again and that's why we moved here… to get away from the constant reminders."

Finished, she looked up at Jack now to see that he was also concentrating hard on the snowman in front of them. He looked horrified and sick and he hung his head as if he was ashamed before whispering, "I'm so sorry."

"I know it's not really your fault…" she said back to him weakly.

Suddenly everything felt wrong again, like maybe all of this was a mistake. Rose found that she couldn't hold back the tears and a few ran down her cheeks feeling hot and miserable.

Not thinking of what he was doing, Jack moved to wipe away her tears and stopped. She looked at him but he seemed to be looking through her.

Something clicked in his mind and he made to take off into the air but Rose quickly grabbed for his sleeve.

"Wait! When will I see you again!" she asked while brushing away her tears and trying to hold his gaze.

He turned his blue eyes back toward her and they seemed darker almost. He looked hurt or guilty or confused, she couldn't tell which and he seemed too stunned at the moment to speak, his mouth hang slightly open with a response he couldn't articulate now.

"Please wait for me tomorrow afternoon," she said, "I'll come and find you by the pond again!" her voice sounded hoarse and desperate to her own ears.

He deliberated with himself for a second before nodding finally. Then he gently pulled her arm away from his sweatshirt. His hand felt cold and Rose let out a small shiver.

Staff in hand, he soared away from her faster than she had ever seen him fly before and she was left with a chilling breeze in her face and a feeling of deep regret.

Unable to support herself now, she fell to her knees and tried to regain composure. How could it be that only a few minutes ago, she was as happy as she had ever felt in her life? Now, she only regretted having to tell Jack the truth and see the shock and pain in his eyes. It was almost as bad as losing her mother all over again.

_Maybe now he won't want to come back, _she thought, _maybe he'll try to stay away from me and never reach out to me again!_

She had to pull herself together. She couldn't go back inside crying and looking like this! Her father still thought she had left the house for a leisurely walk in her new boots! She could laugh at how ridiculous that sounded now! So she sat for a few short minutes focusing on the good of the day and the way she had felt before she had dropped the bomb.

After she guessed there was no more redness in her eyes or puffiness, she got to her feet, walked the few yards to the door, and turned the knob.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I know this is tedious since most of you have about the same things to say but I said I would do it at some point so here we go:**

**LovelySnowQueen: I'm so glad you like it :)  
**

**xZoex: Yes that last chapter was precious! Took me long enough in my opinion!**

**keacdragon: Thanks for the pretty much constant positive feedback! :D**

**heartlessyukiXD: Thank you! I'm updating as fast as possible, believe it! :) and thanks for the specificity of your reviews!**

**turtlethewriter: Love the reviews, as per usual ;)**

**Guest: Thank you for the great review! I love it when people tell me things in detail that are good/bad about the story**

**Hearts345: I'm hoping you've read past the first Chapter by now but if not, that's cool! Thanks for the feedback!**

**newanimefan: The mom thing will be taken care of. Just not too quickly ;)**

**ryodai89: You've been with me since the beginning! Always love to hear your reviews! They really do make a difference and mean a ton to me!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviews! It really does help to hear what is going well or going poorly. I realize that sometimes some of the chapters have a different flow than others and I put everything in painstaking detail and that can get boring sometimes. Hopefully everyone sticks with this thing like I will! Please please please do review if you have things to say! I promise I love reading them and again, it really helps me to write better and make a better story for you to read! Love you guys! :)**

**Chapter 11**

Jack flew through the air as fast as the wind would take him. He didn't say where to go. Though the wind was trying desperately to comfort him and keep him safe, he was traveling so fast he could feel the sting and the pressure of the air around him. His movements were erratic and choppy like the dark clouds in a storm. The only difference was Jack, for once, was not letting it snow.

For the first time since he could remember, he felt something hot inside like a fire burning and melting him. This overwhelming sense of guilt was unbearable!

How had today been so wonderful and then gone so wrong? He couldn't stop seeing the entire day flash before his eyes over and over again in painstaking detail.

That morning Jack had wandered through his hometown looking in or sometimes saying a quick hello to the children who all seemed to be in a winter wonderland of pure joy over the piles of snow and the presents from North the night before.

He had stopped in especially to say hi to little Braden who had lost his tooth the day before in what Tooth had called "an rough ice encounter" this morning after Baby tooth had reported the memory and Tooth scolded Jack for knocking out the tooth before it was ready.

Though Jack hadn't been there at the time of the accident, it was his fault the patch of ice on the sidewalk was extra slippery there so he wanted to check in on the boy and make sure he was alright.

Braden was overjoyed to see Jack and show him the shiny coins left under his pillow that night! The boy was as excited and happy about the experience as any 6 year old would be! Jack told him he was impressed and made sure to make the snow on that patch extra powdery so there wouldn't be another accident.

Feeling good about the kids' reactions to the holiday, Jack was about to fly back to the pond and relax a bit. Since Braden lived just next door to Rose, Jack decided to just walk by the window for a moment to see if the blinds were open. He didn't want to bother the two with their family time but he did want just a small peek at their Christmas morning festivities.

Walking through the yard, Jack passed the snowman and paused for a moment in front of the window where he noticed the blinds were in fact; open for him to look inside.

Of course as soon as he turned his head, she happened to glance his way and their eyes met.

Jack saw the mild shock turn to excitement in her green eyes and watched as she quickly motioned for him to wait and ran into the next room.

He was puzzled for a moment as he looked around and didn't see her father in the room. Judging by the piles of wrapping paper littering the floor, they had already unwrapped presents. He wondered if she had received anything from North…

When she emerged from the house a few seconds later, she was looked like she had dressed in a hurry to go outside. She was still wearing what looked like pajama pants shoved into black boots and a light coat. Her hair looked slightly disheveled and she wasn't wearing her typical scarf. Hopefully she wouldn't be too cold out in the snow.

She jogged briskly over to him and startled him a bit when she asked to go for a walk. He just nodded in response and asked, "Where do you want to walk?"

When neither of them seemed to have a preference, she grabbed his hand and jerked him a bit toward the woods. He was just about grip her hand back when she pulled it away to put on a pair of gloves. _My hand must be too cold for her to touch…_ he thought.

They had walked and talked mostly about trivial things. Rose admitted she hadn't gotten any presents from North (he would maybe look into that later) and somehow the conversation had turned to him and the fact that he spent the holidays alone. For some reason, this seemed to bother Rose so he quickly threw her off the feelings of sadness by telling her that it was not a big deal and he was used to it by now after all.

Jack became acutely aware of where they were headed. Stopping at the pond, he looked down into the ice and thought for a moment about his origins here.

Rose suddenly asked him about his death. This threw him off guard until he remembered telling her briefly about it that day in the park. She looked horrified so Jack tried to reassure her with a smile but he realized as the corners of his mouth struggled to turn upward, that it was not convincing.

She was obviously getting overly emotional about this as he saw tears begin to fill her eyes. She took his hand and he grasped hers back firmly, both to tell her it was alright and because he was afraid she might let go a second time and he was enjoying the warmth.

She was looking at him then and it hit him. There was an overwhelming desire for the space between them to be gone. Suddenly, he wanted to comfort her and to hold her as close as he possibly could. It was like sparks between them or magnets pulling him closer.

He saw the light in her eyes and breathed in that scent of so many things that reminded him of his long ago home. He didn't know what he was doing but in an instant, they were kissing.

He thought now about how that kiss had felt and what it held now in his heart for him. That kiss and the feelings Rose had poured back into him had made him feel more alive than ever before.

Now, knowing that he had aided in the single most destructive event in her life, he didn't want to relive the happiness anymore, feeling white hot guilt and self loathing come to choke him back.

Thinking back on his battle with Pitch those few years ago, nothing the Nightmare King had done had scared him more or made him feel more worthless than the knowledge of what happened to Rose's mother.

Now, flying at top speed in a whirlwind of spent emotion, he felt numb.

Really he had always known the bad weather sometimes unfortunately caused accidents and injuries but he had always been able to reason that it was just a part of nature and a sad side effect of being in charge of winter weather. He had done his best to keep ice off of roads but one person, immortal or not, could only do so much to protect people from the elements while still bringing fun and happiness to the children.

Seeing the real evidence of his magic backfiring to the point of killing someone, especially someone who had become so important to Jack, put him over the edge. How could she ever forgive him? Why did she want to see him again?

She had told him it wasn't his fault but who would be to blame if not him? He grabbed his head with his free hand, still spiraling through the air, paying no mind to where he was being taken. Never had he experienced such adult thoughts and emotions both wonderful and painful all in one day.

He remembered what it had been like to be so alone for 300 years when no one believed in him. Was it better that way? Was he really cut out to be a Guardian? After all, how many of the others had ever caused someone to die because of their abilities?

Jack was something different for sure, he just didn't understand how to conquer that fact. The worst part was that Jack remembered that blizzard specifically. He had caused the severe weather in order to help some of the children get a 2 week break from school. He had played with the kids every day during the aftermath of that storm, completely oblivious to the tragedy he had caused and the hurt one family was feeling only a few blocks away…

Finally, he had calmed down enough to have the wind spit him out somewhere in the middle of Antarctica. Only there could he let the snowstorm rage around him without worry. He thought of the time he spent here when Pitch had asked him to join in his plans and destroy the belief of the children of the world. Maybe without meaning to, he was already trying.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry its been so long! Classes have been rough this week and I will admit I had some writer's block for a few days...**

**Hopefully the next Chapter won't take me so long and I promise it's getting back to a happier state :)**

**Enjoy and as always, read and review please!**

**Chapter 12**

Sitting among the building banks of snow over the vast tundra, Jack allowed his emotions to freely contort the snowy weather through phases of ice and powder as the wind furiously blew the precipitation in every direction around him, practically burying him in his own magic.

Jack hadn't properly cried in years. Mostly his tears froze before they could leave his cheek…

He wiped numbly at his face with his sweatshirt and wrung his hands on his staff until they felt raw. He felt sick and strangely helpless. He knew it was childish to be acting this way but it was difficult to not feel so overwhelmingly guilty. It was the same kind of feeling as when Pitch had captured Sandy only this time, the other Guardians weren't there to tell Jack it wasn't his fault.

Rose shut the door behind her and stepped back into the warmth of the house. Peeling off her new boots which were practically soaked now from being covered in snow for so long, she looked up to see her father watching her.

"How was your walk?" he asked.

"Huh?" Rose looked back at him questioningly.

"Did the boots hold up alright in your test walk?" he asked, pointing to the boots she just discarded on the floor.

Remembering the note she had left, Rose quickly nodded and said, "Yeah! The boots are great! Just need to remember to wear some thicker socks out there!" she made a shivering noise to indicate the dropping temperatures.

This seemed to make him happy but the look he gave Rose told her he could tell something was up. Before he could say anything, she decided it was time to shower and get dressed.

"Did you leave me any hot water?" she asked him jokingly.

He rolled his eyes and assured her, "I think you'll be fine. Just try to keep the singing down to two or three songs! We don't need a whole concert!"

Smirking back at him, Rose bounded up the stairs to her room.

As she shut the door behind her she swallowed down the lump in her throat again. She squeezed her eyes together and focused on the possibility of seeing Jack again. Rose wanted the chance to clear the air between them again and make things alright. She would just have to hold it in until tomorrow. For now, she thought a hot shower would help her clear her head and maybe rid her of this bone chilling cold.

Once she had gotten to the bathroom and turned on the shower knob, her joints felt sore from where her pants had gotten damp after sitting in the snow. The hot water seemed to scorch her skin at first and it took her a few minutes to get used to the sensation. Finally, she was able to wash off and rinse before standing under the water in the steam for a little while longer, unwilling to leave the comfort of the warmth, letting the water flow down from her head to make small streams leading to her feet.

When Rose was finally finished, she dried off and quickly put on more comfortable clothes. Not particularly caring what she wore, she pulled on a pair of thick black leggings and wool socks and a half-zip gray sweatshirt with her initials stitched into the upper left corner in hot pink.

She brushed the tangles out of her wet hair before drying it just enough to make it not seem so cold on her head. Letting the hair fall down to the middle of her back, she took one look at herself in the mirror to be sure her eyes weren't too puffy or red. Feeling satisfied, Rose went back down the stairs to find a mug of hot chocolate and a stack of old Christmas movies on the coffee table.

Her father looked up at Rose as she entered the room and he held up the first movie, _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer_, a great claymation classic!

Without a word, the two sat down to watch and drink the hot chocolate in front of them. Movie after movie, they watched throughout the day, commenting on the characters or the weird clay animation movements.

After a lazy day and a dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato bisque soup, the two said their goodnights and went their separate ways to bed.

As soon as Rose's head hit her pillow, she was overcome with exhaustion. Crying earlier in the day had really taken its toll on her… She drifted off into a deep, though not quite restful, sleep…

Sandy was finishing up sending dreams through the night sky in Bay Shore and he was headed toward Burgess. He thought it was a little strange that he hadn't seen Jack thus far on his nightly routine. Usually the boy was somewhere coating something with ice by this time of year.

As Sandy went through the town, he noticed a feeling that he had first gotten a few nights ago. He felt the belief of someone in a certain house that was foreign to him. It seemed to pull at him like a magnet but there definitely wasn't a child that lived there. It was very rare for an adult to retain their beliefs in magic from childhood. It happened sometimes but usually didn't last very long. This on the other hand, had seemed to spring up out of nowhere.

Sandy, giving in to this tugging feeling, flew down to the window of the house to peek inside. There he saw a girl of around 18 or 19 he guessed, sound asleep but with a small frown playing on her features.

Sandy looked at her with worry and sympathy in his eyes. Watching her, he made up his mind to create extra magnificent dreams for her. With a whirl of his hands, he pulled up a large amount of the golden sand and let it swim around her head, smiling as her features relaxed into the wonder of the dreams. Satisfied in his work, he flew away from the window still perplexed about her apparent sense of belief.

Back in Antarctica, Jack had somewhat calmed himself though the storm still raged around him in his sadness.

Suddenly something broke through the thick falling snow and ice. A single moonbeam shone down on Jack and seemed to bounce around him in bubbly excitement. It danced here and there on the snow and reflected off the tiny flakes like shattered glass.

Jack moved to hold the beam in his hand for a moment. Was the Man in the Moon trying to tell him something? Cheer him up maybe?

As he watched the little moonbeam flutter and flicker around him, Jack felt himself calm down. The storm of raging winds and freezing rain and snow began to slow and grow docile with his emotions until there was nothing but large soft snowflakes lazily twirling around him.

In that moment Jack heard- or thought he heard- a small voice in head speaking to him. Really it was so soft and whispery he could have imagined it. He shut his eyes and wrinkled his forehead as he strained to listen. When the Man in the Moon bothered to speak to him, though it was extremely rare, it was always worth listening.

It was as if he didn't need to actually hear a voice, he simply _understood_ what message was being conveyed through the moonbeam's playful movements. The snow reflected its light. It did not cover it or darken it but rather, enhanced the beauty of it casting a prism of colors in tiny glimpses on each and every frozen flake.

Jack felt then, maybe that was the message he needed to know. Though his powers were cold and destructive, they were also beautiful, comforting, and _light._ A smile came to his lips as he whispered a goodbye to the little moonbeam. Remembering the joy and fun he brought to people, he knew he couldn't stay like this. The world did still need him. He rose to his feet then and said, "Take me home."

Rose awoke that morning feeling very well rested. She yawned and stretched before getting dressed. She put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, a teal green shirt, and a black cardigan. She brushed through her hair and then braided it neatly to one side.

She went into the bathroom and picked up her toothbrush, carefully squeezing out some toothpaste onto the bristles.

Mouth full of foam, with the toothbrush sticking out of one side, Rose made her way downstairs to the kitchen where her father had left a note for her on the counter.

Rose,

I'm back at work today!

Here is some money to go into town and try out those new skates!

Have a good day, sweetheart!

Love you,

Dad

Rose smiled at the note and found the ten dollar bill under the note. She didn't know if ice skating was in the cards today but maybe sometime this week she would go and try to meet some people in town. Today she was going to wait for Jack.

After having a light breakfast of her favorite cereal, Lucky Charms, Rose pulled on her boots and coat and headed outside.

She didn't know when Jack would come back. She wasn't too sure he would come back at all after their last meeting…

Rose decided to enjoy the snow right now, listening to the scrunching sound of it under her boots before laying down near the snowman in the yard and closed her eyes. There was so much snow on the ground she seemed to sink into the white fluff like a cloud.

Rose felt her breathing slow as she relaxed into the snow, letting it numb her. Moving her hands and feet to the sides, she pushed the snow into the shape of an angel.

She smiled as she felt the coolness of snowflakes as they began to fall and melt on her cheeks. Rose thought about Jack and how the flakes reminded her of how soft his kiss had been…

Sensing the shadow cross over her face, she opened her eyes to see Jack's feet touchdown softly on the ground, holding his hand out for Rose. She took his hand in hers and pulled herself up.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Again guys, I'm so sorry this has taken so long! Turns out school has taken up way more of my time than I thought this semester but I promise I haven't given up on this thing! **

**Enjoy and I'll try to get the next one up in a timely fashion!**

**R&R as always! :)**

**Chapter 13**

Jack wasn't sure at first if Rose would take his hand as he extended it to her in the snow. After everything that had happened between them thus far, he still didn't know if she could ever really like him.

The look in those beautiful green eyes as the warmth of her hand met his told him that it would all be alright. She pulled on his hand and he felt her rise up off the ground right into his arms.

Jack felt the hard lump in his throat start to dissolve in that instant. He felt for the first time how tense he had become and as he held her, wrapping his arms even tighter around her small frame, he relaxed.

Jack couldn't describe the relief he felt in that embrace. All of these foreign feeling came rushing through him again as he buried his head in her hair and let out a shaky breath. He felt Rose pull him closer to her for a second before pushing lightly away to face him. He dropped his hands, still clutching his staff, to his side as she took a step back, adding space between them.

"Jack," she began slowly. He felt his chest tighten, waiting to hear what she had to say, afraid for another moment that she might be about to ask him to stay away… "You must know that I've been thinking carefully about my mother since I first met you."

Jack cringed but Rose's expression still seemed soft and open as she continued, "I'm not going to lie, it's still really hard to not have her here with me and dad… and it was hard at first not to blame you when I found out who you were." Rose looked at him then and Jack could hear the hurt in her tone.

"The last few days though, getting to talk with you and hearing more about your life… Jack, I know you would never do that. Knowing you now, I feel embarrassed for ever thinking about it." Jack made to say something but Rose put a hand up to stop him. "Please, Jack, just know that I definitely don't blame you for what happened to mom." She took Jack's hand then and said, "Things happen for a reason even if sometimes you can't explain it. I think I saw you that day for a reason too. Like maybe we were meant to find each other… and now, I wouldn't take that back for anything."

With this, Rose gave his hand a squeeze and Jack stood there for a moment, frozen.

The tight feeling in his chest had dissipated and he felt as though a 100 pound weight he had carried for years had just been lifted off his body. He felt so light it was almost as if he were flying though his feet remained firmly planted on the ground.

Jack couldn't think of the words to say. What do you tell someone after they forgive you for something so horrible? Thank you? No, there would be no words to describe how he felt now. Not just a deep gratitude but truly a sense of freedom from self-loathing, pain, and the desperate need to right an impossible wrong. Jack was speechless.

Here was this girl he had really only met a little more than a week ago and already his entire world had been shaken by her influence. She had believed in him when it seemed impossible, had calmly accepted how strange he was and his second chance at life, had even grown close enough to him to kiss him, and now she had released him from the agony of knowing that he had a hand in her own mother's death. There seemed to be no end to this girl's understanding and compassion and Jack, with all his powers and magic, was left feeling as though there was still a world he did not yet understand.

Jack took his hand away from hers and pushed back part of her long hair away from her face. A smile was all he had to offer her in return but the moment he smiled, her eyes seemed to brighten and she returned a huge grin before hugging him tightly once more.

This time the embrace was short lived before Rose pulled away and said, "I have an idea for what to do today!" Her eyebrows were raised in excitement and there was a childlike tone in her voice.

"What is it?" Jack asked, curious to know what idea had caused the sudden change of atmosphere and glad to have moved past the conversation about her mother.

"Wait here for one minute!" Rose exclaimed and she disappeared into the house.

Jack waited patiently outside, flying up to the roof of her house to look out over the small town.

He heard the front door open and shut before Rose called out his name. Suddenly, she was covered in snow and let out a small scream in surprise when Jack slid off of the roof and flew down to her, laughing!

Shaking the snow out of her hair, Rose bent down and picked up a handful of snow. With a devious smile she yelled, "take that!" and narrowly missed hitting Jack as he dodged the snowball in the air. He gave her a boyish grin as she said, "Fine, you just wait! I owe you one and you won't know when it's coming!" With that, Rose brushed her hands off before pulling white gloves out of her pocket and putting them on her hands.

Jack laughed and said, "Alright, whenever you want to try to hit me with a snowball, good luck with that!" He bent over to pick up a bag that she had been carrying when she left the house. He gave her a questioning look before handing it over.

Rose carefully lifted the top off the box and pulled out the skates her father had gotten her for Christmas.

Seeing the look on Jack's face, Rose said, "We don't have to skate on that pond… I'm sure we can find somewhere else if that brings back too many memories for you. I just thought it could be something fun to do."

"That's alright," Jack started, "it's been a long time and I know for sure now that pond is frozen solid." He winked at her then and said, "No worries!"

So the two headed off toward the pond, talking about whatever happened to pop into their heads. Mostly Rose always had questions for Jack like, how long did it take him to fly around the world? Did he really make it snow everywhere? As she marveled at his answers and his stories, Jack thought about how wonderful it was to just talk with her. He felt almost _normal_ being with her now.

It turned out Rose was actually not too bad at skating. She told Jack she had taken lessons when she was very young but didn't really stick with it.

Jack's favorite trick was to grab her hands and fly above Rose, pulling her along the ice as fast as he could! They screamed and laughed like children, not realizing how quickly the time was flying by!

After long, the two of them sat together and Jack made frost animals come alive off the trees much like he had done for Jamie years ago. Rose thought this was especially amazing and she called out different creatures for him to create.

When it started to get late, Jack took Rose just a little farther into the woods to his favorite tree.

"You have to watch this! You get the best view from up here!" he told her as he took her by the waist. Rose put her arms around Jack's shoulders as he flew up off the ground onto a high limb. She was still getting used to the whole flying thing but she really did enjoy the feeling of being so weightless in his arms.

Jack slowly let Rose down onto the branch and settled himself next to her with one leg dangling below, the other pulled up next to his body.

The temperature had begun to drop and Jack could feel Rose shiver slightly.

He felt bad now that he had kept her outside for this long. He glanced at her face and noticed her cheeks weren't as red as they should be. Her breath was coming out in tiny puffs. On another hand, had she even eaten anything today? Jack wanted to think that putting his arm around her would make her warmer but he knew he could only make her cold.

"Hold this for me for just a second" Jack told Rose as he handed her his staff.

Rose took it from him and examined the piece of wood. It looked just like a normal walking stick… Maybe more like a shepherd's crook…

As she looked closely at it, she didn't notice what Jack was doing until she felt something cold on her arm as he took the staff back.

She looked down to see his blue hooded sweatshirt lying on her arm. She looked up at him puzzled to see that he had a plain navy blue t-shirt on. Rose noticed the slight definition of muscle along his thin arms and how the slow rise and fall of his chest was more defined under the t-shirt. _How typical for a guy to wear two different but very similar shades of blue at the same time, _Rose thought before asking, "What is this for?"

"You were shivering. I can't keep you warm but if you put that on, it should warm up after a minute or so" he responded.

"Oh. Thank you" she responded. Rose hadn't really even noticed how cold it had gotten. "I guess it's dumb to ask, but you won't be cold without this, will you?"

He just looked at her and chuckled lightly. "I'm Jack Frost, do I look like I get cold?" He raised one eyebrow, expecting an answer from her.

Rose rolled her eyes before, "No, I suppose not." She took off her coat, exposing her bare arms to the cold. She had taken off her cardigan before going out here with Jack, thinking she would get too hot with that and her coat on at once. That thought seemed kind of dumb now as she only had a thin teal t-shirt on at the moment.

She slipped his sweatshirt on over her head and shivered for a second at the cold material touching her skin. After all, it might as well have been sitting outside in the snow for all the body heat Jack gave off. She put her coat back on over the sweatshirt and folded her arms to speed up the warming process.

"Jack…" Rose began. When he turned his head to look at her, she caught him off guard with a small kiss. He was surprised for a moment but then just as he began to return the kiss, she pulled away for a second before tossing a bit of snow at his face.

Rose burst out laughing then before, "Sorry Jack!" She paused to laugh for another few seconds, "I had to! I told you I would get you back for that attack earlier!"

Jack had to laugh along with her at this. "I think that's the second time someone has ever caught me off guard with a snowball! The last was when I saw you in the park so that makes two for you!"

They chuckled for a minute at this before quieting down again.

"What are we watching up here, again?" she asked him.

"The sunset" he replied simply.

They sat for another minute waiting until the sun touched the horizon and began to sink. Rose looked out through the woods and saw the shadows of the trees elongate as though they were stretching for a nap. Bright oranges, yellows, and reds danced across the sky and it seemed like every icy particle of snow on the ground reflected a tiny rainbow.

As Rose sat there, she realized that she never had really paused to enjoy this time of day. Jack, however, had all the time in the world, she supposed, so obviously he knew how to stop to enjoy little things like this. Rose breathed in the smell of the woods. The branches, damp and heavy with snow, the pine needles giving off an aroma of peace and solitude.

When the last bit of the sun had finally fallen over the edge of the land, Jack lifted off of the branch and somewhat floated in front of Rose, ready to carry her back down. She slid forward off the branch into his arms and he flew back to the pond to grab her discarded skates. Once Rose had them securely in her arms, she climbed onto Jack's back as he insisted he fly her home now that it was dark.

By this time, Rose was really beginning to feel how hungry and tired she was. She rested her head in between Jack's shoulders as the wind carried them.

They landed lightly in the snow in front of Rose's house.

"Thanks for everything today!" Rose said as she climbed down from his back, "this was a ton of fun! The sunset was beautiful, too."

Before he could say anything, Rose moved toward him and leaned up on her tip toes to plant a kiss on his lips.

She smiled at him then before he said, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Rose laughed and said, "That's alright! We have plenty of time to practice!" With that, she winked.

Jack laughed and said, "I guess we do!" Feeling more bold now, he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the nose. She beamed back up at him before turning to open the door.

"See you tomorrow!" She called as Jack flew away back into the night. Shutting the door behind her, Rose took off her coat to realize that she was still wearing his blue sweatshirt. She smiled as she turned on the electric fireplace and settled down in the warmth.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: It's been awhile again... I am sorry for how long these updates have taken. I swear I have a solid idea for this story but I rarely have time to separate and write out the chapters. I'll definitely keep on keepin' on though! **

**This one is kind of just angsty in my opinion. I feel like lately they've all kind of been that way but we have to get through the drama right? haha.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14**

As Rose cuddled in the warmth of the fire, waiting for her father to return from work, she finally began to really contemplate the meaning of the events from the past few days.

It had happened so quickly! Meeting Jack and having her world turned upside down and then developing feelings for him and actually kissing him!

She had never moved so fast into a relationship before and it was scary now that she thought of it. Not that Jack was at all scary to her (though he had frightened her quite a bit when they had first met) but the thought of whatever this was turning into going so quickly was now seeping into her mind and making her question her every move concerning Jack.

For that matter, what were they exactly? Neither had said anything about where this was going but that hadn't stopped them from holding hands and acting like a couple… Thinking back on her time with him, going through every tiny motion, made Rose puzzled.

She couldn't quite figure out where it had all come from. At the time, it seemed so easy, so _natural_ to hold his hand or even to kiss him. So natural, in fact, that it hadn't seemed like strings were attached or expectations made. It was simple.

Rose smiled at this. She couldn't help the fluttering feeling in her chest when she thought of Jack. Shaking her head, she chastised herself for a minute thinking how she was acting like a love struck schoolgirl.

Still, his sweatshirt, now completely warm and frost free, clung to her skin, and in that strange way, made her feel safe.

Definitely, something had to be said about this. Rose would have to clear the air with Jack on this whole manner. Could she even be in a relationship with him? Wasn't he some kind of legend? Certainly, he wouldn't age and then where would they be? That was something to consider for sure, not that she really believed they would be together that long… People can't just fall in love casually and most certainly not with someone… immortal.

That thought suddenly seemed so alien to Rose. Jack wasn't _human_ anymore. No, all of this had to be wrong. Surely, there was no other way…

Slowly, the smile faded from her face as the lines of worry and doubt crept into her features and she huddled closer to the fire for comfort. She would have to stop seeing Jack at some point, right? It was inevitable.

_Of course it would be my luck that I would love someone I can't have, _Rose thought as she leaned her head back on the couch, suddenly feeling tired. _No! Not love! _She reminded herself, _I am not in love with Jack... _

Jack flew about the town for a while, checking on the children, seeing them dream happily, still on a high from the excitement of Christmas morning! He was flying in a leisurely manner, not bothering to make it snow. The town, by this point, was very well-covered in white powder and Jack figured it was time to give the working adults a break from the winter wonderland for awhile.

The whole time he had been flying, since he dropped Rose off at her house, he couldn't manage to wipe the giant stupid grin off his face. It was almost painful by now but no matter how much his cheeks protested, thoughts of Rose kept causing the corners of his mouth to twitch and curl upward. He supposed it was only natural, being the Guardian of Fun, for him to be constantly smiling anyway.

Coming to a stop, lightly, with one foot first on the top of a chimney, he paused just long enough to see the first few telltale signs of his good friend, Sandy, approaching. The all too familiar golden sand drifted down into the windows of each of the sleeping children in the town.

Jack, spotting Sandy up in the sky, quickly ascended to say hello and catch up on anything he might have missed the past few days while he was with Rose.

Seeing Jack, Sandy gave his usual friendly wave as a greeting and counted the number of nights it had been since he had last talked to Jack with moons made from the golden sand above his head followed by a question mark. _Where have you been?_

"Sorry, Sandy" Jack replied. He scratched the back of his head for a moment while continuing, "I've been sort of in my own world the past few days. Is there any news?"

Sandy looked Jack up and down with a puzzled expression, noting the lack of blue sweatshirt before deciding it wasn't important. He shrugged and shook his head. As far as he knew, nothing had changed.

"Well that's always a relief" Jack replied, a little too briskly. "I'll let you get back to your dreams then."

With a wave, Jack returned to the pond in the woods and settled himself in a tree branch to watch the moon for a little while as Sandy continued to spread his dream sand.

Man in Moon still never really talked to Jack… Mostly, all the Guardians were called to the Pole if there was a message that needed to be conveyed. Still, Jack found some comfort in talking to the moon when he needed advice or just needed a friend. It was a habit formed from years of isolation that he still couldn't quite break himself of.

"I don't know how all of this happened," Jack spoke softly, "but I'm so glad that I met Rose."

He took a deep breath, "I just don't know what's supposed to happen now… Why would this happen? Why would you allow me to find the girl of my dreams but keep her out of my reach? I mean, everything has happened so fast and it's getting harder and harder to tell myself that someday, I'll have to say goodbye…"

Jack's voice became a choked whisper on those last few words. All traces of his boyish grin now gone; wiped clean from his immortal face.

That's what he was, after all, immortal. Jack looked at the staff in his hand. He had held it for so many years, he hardly noticed it anymore. It was an extension of his arm and it carried with it the weight of the responsibility thrust on him in his death; a weight that had doubled in the past few years as he accepted his duties as Guardian.

It carried with it the freedom from death, from cold and discomfort. It carried powers beyond human belief! It carried the look on the face of a child experiencing the pure fun and excitement of a snow day!

It carried a chain that bound his soul to this responsibility and seemed to prevent him from being with Rose.

He grasped the wood tighter, holding onto the memories, the frustration, and the joy that it came with.

It seemed to be lately that every time he took a step forward with Rose, it came with two more backward. Every time he thought things were getting better, something new was standing between them, keeping them apart.

Jack couldn't see a way around this new road block. This was the one he had known all along; the fate neither of them could escape. Now, still without fully understanding the extent of their relationship, he was coming to terms with the cold truth that there could be no relationship in the first place.

Something had to be done about this. Jack knew he would have to talk to Rose about these prospects. He knew he would have to tell her it needed to end before either of them could get hurt. Maybe it was even too late to spare that pain but still, Rose deserved a chance to understand this and move on…

That thought hurt Jack more than anything else. How hard would that really be to let her go and see her find someone else? Thinking of all the young girls he had watched grow older, get married, and, eventually, die now made him sick.

They had been different. What was that old saying though? If you truly love someone, you have to let them go?

This was a tough thought for Jack to consider. Was he really in love with Rose? He didn't know what love felt like…

The pain in his chest at the thought of what needed to be done however, gave him an inclination for the answer to that question… and Jack didn't like what the repercussions of that meant.


End file.
